


Ribbons

by Pajama_Han



Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: A/C romance in future chapters?, Gen, Pokemon AU, Pokemon Contests, Pokémon Coordinator!Aziraphale, Pokémon Coordinator!Crowley, Pokémon Coordinator!Hastur, Pokémon Coordinator!Ligur, Pokémon Coordinator!Michael, Tags will change as I update, Talent Agent!Beelzebub, Talent Agent!Gabriel, secret friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2020-12-14 11:34:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21015095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pajama_Han/pseuds/Pajama_Han
Summary: Aziraphale and Crowley are the two most popular coordinators in the Edenia region, but they've never met before!... at least, that's what the public and their agents think. What will these two old friends do when they're scheduled to compete against each other in the most high-stakes contest of their careers?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! I'm really excited to start this multi chapter adventure, so I hope you all like it as well! I've been thinking of a Pokémon AU for Gomens for a while now, so I hope it turns out well.
> 
> Please enjoy!

Glittering stars filled the air and came to form three halo-like circles. An orb of pure blue energy shot through each one, causing the halos to explode into sparkles that gently cascaded down to the ground. A soft hand with manicured nails held up a biscuit in the air, and it was swiftly picked up by the large white Pokémon that put on the stunning display.  
“An outstanding performance as always, my dear!” A blonde man cheered and pet the Togekiss’s soft feathers as it landed, happily chewing on its treat. It chirped and preened at the praise. 

The man was Aziraphale, a coordinator that was rather popular in the Northern part of the Edenia region. He and his Pokémon were known for their elegant and almost ethereal performances in contests. The coordinator even earned himself a rather special nickname: The Angel of Edenia.  
Aziraphale had already earned himself four contest ribbons, so he was just one away from being able to enter the Grand Festival. It was lucky for him that the next contest was being held in his hometown.

The blond man pressed a kiss to his Togekiss’s head, “With a stunning combination like that, I’m sure we’ll take the Soho ribbon!” He smiled and his Pokémon smiled back.  
Aziraphale jumped as his mobile phone rang suddenly. He pulled it from his waistcoat pocket and frowned as he saw the caller ID; it was his agent.

With a sigh, Aziraphale flipped open his phone and put on a fake cheery voice, “Hello, Gabriel! So good to hear from you!”  
“Hey, ‘Zira, a little Fletchling told me you made it back to Soho Town!” His agent’s deep voice boomed through the phone, “I was just a little curious why you didn't phone me when you got back home? You know, like I asked?”  
Aziraphale laughed nervously, “Oh, you know how scatterbrained I can be! I got all caught up in Togekiss’s training.” He explained and fed the flying-type another biscuit.  
“You aren't overfeeding her, are you?” Gabriel did not sound amused.  
Aziraphale gulped as his Togekiss quickly took a third biscuit from the package, “N-no! Certainly not! You know me, I run a tight ship for my beauties!”

“Well good,”Aziraphale heard his agent swivel in his office chair, “And I hope _you’re_ doing the exercises I linked you to as well. Remember: the crowds see the coordinator on stage _first_.”  
The blond man rolled his eyes and looked down at his stomach, “Oh, yes! They were very…” he set a hand on his belly, a bit bigger than he'd like it to be, “Effective.” His Togekiss waddled over and nuzzled her nose against his stomach, to which the blond smiled and petted her head kindly.

“Now, ‘Zira, I should let you know something before the Soho contest.” Gabriel sounded serious.  
Aziraphale frowned, “Is there a problem?”  
Gabriel clicked his tongue, “It's just… one of your opponents is going to be notoriously tough. Super popular coordinator from the south. They call him the Demon of Edenia, I’m surprised you and him have never faced off before, honestly.”  
The blond cleared his throat nervously, “R-really? No, can't say I’ve met the bloke. But it’ll be no problem! I’m certain I can take this ‘Demon’ on!”  
“Excellent, well I’ll be sure to come down to watch your Soho contest, ‘Zira. Be in touch!” With a beep, Gabriel was gone.

Aziraphale sighed deeply and closed his phone, “Oh, good heavens,” he groaned, “I always perform worse when Gabriel is watching, and then apparently _he’ll_ be… oh, what shall I do!?” He lamented, brushing his Togekiss’s plumage back.  
The flying-type chirped curiously and tilted her head.  
Aziraphale smiled, a bit tiredly, and pulled out another biscuit, this time for himself, “You're right, dear; treats first, worry later.”

-~-

A few Swanna swam towards a handful of oats that were tossed into the water where they were swimming. The tall man leaning on the railing tossed another handful to them, and the Pokémon at his side writhed impatiently.  
“Leave the Swanna alone,” the man chuckled and pet his partner’s smooth, scaly head fondly, “I’ll feed you when we get to our hotel.”  
The man heard someone approach him from behind and his Pokémon hissed, but stopped when it's trainer held up a hand and turned around, “Easy, Seviper…” he looked down to see a young girl looking up and him and holding a small book.

“P-pardon me!” The girl smiled up at the man, expression hard to read behind his dark glasses, “Are you the Demon of Edenia?”  
The man smiled and tilted his head to the side, “Whatever gave it away?” The Seviper beside him twisted its tail playfully and bared its fangs, clearly showing off.  
The girl held out her book and a pen, “I’m a huge fan, Mr. Demon! Could I please have your autograph!?”   
The man in sunglasses nodded and flipped through to an empty page; this girl had a lot of coordinator’s autographs, it seemed. “What's your name, kid?”  
“Sarah!”  
The man signed his stage name, complete with a drawing of his Seviper’s tail, “There you are, Sarah.” He smiled and gave the book back, glad as the girl beamed in happiness.

“Are you in town for a contest, Mr. Demon?” Sarah asked.  
“Yeah, I’ve never been to Soho before… nice place.” The redheaded man looked around the park; when he saw his Pokémon eyeing the Swanna again, he snapped his fingers to get his its attention, “Seviper is excited to compete as well.”  
The girl lit up, “Oh wow! So you’ll be going up against the Angel, huh? I hope I can get a ticket to watch the contest live!” She jumped excitedly.  
“What?” The Demon froze, “The… Angel?”  
Sarah tilted her head, “You didn't know? Everyone's excited for you and the Angel of Edenia to finally face off! You two are the best coordinators in the region, but you’ve never even met each other! It’s going to be wild!” She grinned, and turned as someone called her name, “Sorry, I have to go home now, thank you for the autograph, Mr. Demon! I’ll be cheering for you!” She waved and ran off, leaving a very confused coordinator and his Seviper.

The Pokémon hissed and nudged his trainer’s hand.  
“Yeah… lets go to the hotel. I'll get you some food and then,” the man’s hands shook, “I need to call someone.”

-~-

Aziraphale set down three bowls of food, each one specially made for his Pokémon’s individual needs.  
“I’m glad I can use my own kitchen to cook for you all again,” he smiled and pat his Ninetales’s head, “Eat up, you lot, we’ve more training to do tomorrow.” The coordinator watched his Pokémon tuck in, hoping they would all be ready to perform.

Aziraphale’s Slurpuff was the newest member of his team, but it was a quick learner when it comes to routines. Fairy types were always rather popular in contests, and Slurpuff’s silly personality was certainly a crowd pleaser.   
His Ninetales was a gift from Gabriel when he was just starting his career, given to him as a baby Vulpix. It's fiery playfulness and adorable looks were an instant hit amongst fans. Its appeal only seemed to grow stronger after it evolved.  
Togekiss had been Aziraphale’s partner since he was a child; he had been given an egg by his mother to test his responsibility, and lo and behold, a cute little Togepi hatched! Aziraphale vowed to raise the Pokémon to be the most lovely Togekiss in the region, and, as far as his fans are concerned, he did it.

Aziraphale was about to go prepare his own meal when his mobile rang once more, but this time the caller ID made him smile, “Hello, old friend.”   
“Angel,” the Demon’s voice hissed, “We need to talk. What’s your address here again?”  
Aziraphale spoke quietly, “It’s the bookshop on Fifth, be sure nobody follows you.”  
“Right. Be there in ten.” The Demon hung up and Aziraphale closed his phone. He should grab some wine, this would be one hell of a talk…

In roughly ten minutes, Aziraphale was alerted by three quick raps at his shop’s front door and he hurried over to let his friend in.  
“Crowley,” the blond smiled brightly, “It’s been far too long.” He locked the door behind him and drew the curtains.  
The Demon smiled back and removed his sunglasses, “I must admit, I missed you too, Angel.” He sauntered into the bookshop where there were already two glasses of wine set on a coffee table, “So someone on the contest staff cocked up, huh?” He laughed and plopped himself down on the nearest sofa and took a glass for himself.

Aziraphale rolled his eyes and went to sit next to Crowley, “I wouldn't say that, but they certainly picked a fine contest for us to have our fabled ‘first meeting’.”  
The redhead took a long sip of wine, “I still can't believe no one has discovered that we’re friends yet. Heaven’s sakes, Angel, we _show up_ to each other’s contests.”  
“We keep low profiles then, though,” Aziraphale smiled over the rim of his glass, “by the way, you performed marvellously in the Donlon City contest, dear boy.”  
“But it's over now,” Crowley sighed miserably, setting his now-empty glass aside, “Either your bastard of an agent or mine leaked the contest roster to the public and now the Soho contest will be the biggest event in Edenia,” The Demon held out his hands in a grand gesture, “‘Angel versus Demon! The two greatest coordinators of Edenia meet and compete for the _first time!!!_” 

The blond poured his friend another glass, “I’m more concerned about what happens afterwards,” he finished his own glass and refilled it, “One of us will win our fifth ribbon and qualify for the Grand Festival, but the other will be stuck until next season.” Aziraphale looked worriedly to his friend, “I couldn't bear to see you lose when you’re so close to getting to your first Festival!”  
Crowley pushed his hair back and smiled daringly at his friend, “Implying you could beat me~?”  
Aziraphale blushed, “You know what I mean…” he downed his second glass and brightened up as an idea came to him, “Oh! Why don't neither of us win? We throw the match and wait until next season to get our fifth ribbons?”  
Crowley shook his head and took a drink, “You and I both know our agents would sooner kill us than let us lose a contest, _especially_ one with such a buzz around it.”   
“Got any better ideas?” Aziraphale leaned towards the redhead and narrowed his eyes, “Got _one, single_ better idea?”

Crowley groaned and tilted his head back, “This is so stupid, why couldn’t we have just been popular in our own circles and kept supporting each other from the shadows like always? _Why_ do we have to compete now!?”   
Aziraphale pulled out his phone, “I could call Gabriel and ask? This seems like something he’d do for publi...publicky- for people to get excited about it.” He slurred.  
Crowley pulled out his own smartphone, “Yeah, y’know what? I'm gonna call my agent too, it was probably their whole plan!” He was slurring his words too, at this point.  
The Angel let his friend go first and watched him angrily dial his agent’s number and put it on speaker phone.

A grumpy, almost droning voice answered after three rings, “Crowley do you have any idea how late it is? If you keep missing sleep you'll never beat that fancy-pants Angel.”  
Aziraphale pouted, but stayed silent as Crowley spoke, “Beelz! Good evening to you too!” The redhead smiled, “Listen, speaking of the Angel, do you know why we’ve been invited to compete with each other in Soho Town? I mean, we’ve never even met before.”  
The agent on the other end growled, “It’s not your place to be asking questions, Demon. You go where I schedule you, and you _win_. This Soho contest is just the last step to the Festival. You _will_ crush that Angel, Crowley. Now Goodbye.” They hung up.  
“Good talking with you too Beelz,” Crowley said to the tone, “Well, I gave my shot, now’s your turn.” The redheaded man helped himself to another glass of wine and gestured to Aziraphale’s flip phone.

The blond dialled his agent and hoped he didn't sound too drunk. Gabriel answered remarkably fast, “‘Zira, baby! How’s it going? Doing a little late-night training? Atta boy!” Gabriel cheered.  
“G-good evening, Gabriel!” Aziraphale chirped in response, “Yes, I was training… anyway, I was just wondering if it was you that scheduled me and the Demon to face off here? Did you have anything to do with that,” he looked up to Crowley, who shrugged and pulled a face, “_impeccable_ decision?”  
Gabriel laughed grandly, “Hah! I _wish_ I was the one who put you two on the roster together! No, sunshine, this just happens to be a beautiful coincidence for the last contest of the season.”

“A coincidence…” Aziraphale repeated, “A _coincidence_ made it so the two most popular coordinators in Edenia would face off right before the Grand Festival?”  
“...You bet!” Gabriel chimed happily, “Well then, I’ll let you get back to your training. I’ll be in town the day before the contest to see and edit your routines. Keep up the great work, Angel!” Gabriel hung up and Aziraphale angrily flipped his phone closed and slammed it on the sofa cushion next to him.  
“Okay I know I always tell you that my agent’s worse,” Crowley sat up and pointed to Aziraphale’s phone, “but how in the heavens could you deal with _that_ on a regular basis?” 

The blond slumped in his seat, “So we need to face off against each other whilst pretending we’ve never even met, and our agents are being extremely cagey about all of this.” He sighed, “This will be dreadful…”  
Crowley looked pensive for a moment, “I have an idea,” he looked to his friend with narrowed eyes, “but you need to promise me you’ll be cool about it.”  
Aziraphale shrugged, “I’ll be happy to hear any plan that can get us out of fighting each other.”   
“I’m the Demon of Edenia,” he grinned, “I could sabotage the whole contest.”  
“How the hell do you plan on doing that?” The Angel asked, rubbing his head.  
Crowley took out a Pokéball from his pocket and tossed it in his hand, “Seviper could cut down the lighting rig cables before the contest starts, it could take days or even weeks to fix. If anything that’ll give us more time to come up with a better plan.” He smirked.

Aziraphale lit up, “Oh that does sound grand!” He chimed, eyes following the ball’s movements in the air, “Crowley, be a dear and let him out? I _do_ miss the old chap.”  
Crowley laughed and let his Seviper out of the ball. The poison-type trilled happily upon seeing Aziraphale and the blond stroked his smooth head and strong body, “There’s a handsome lad! Ohh, Crowley’s taken such good care of you!” He cooed, the Seviper wiggling its tail happily.  
“Don't spoil him, Angel, he never wants to leave after you've treated him like that!” The Demon laughed grandly and whistled towards the back of the shop, “Kissy! C’mere, girl!”  
After hearing Crowley call her, the Togekiss waddled out of the dining room where Aziraphale’s Pokémon were eating. The large fairy-type sang happily and dove into Crowley’s waiting arms. 

“Such soft feathers~” Crowley hummed and stroked along the Togekiss’s back, “I wish we could both take our Pokémon out to a park or something to play like this.” he confessed.  
Aziraphale nodded sadly, now wrapped in Seviper’s coils as the Pokémon attempted to snuggle closer to the warm, soft Angel, “Indeed, I _do_ wish there will be a day when we no longer have to hide our... friendship.”   
Crowley smiled and gave the humming Togekiss on his lap a belly rub, “Someday, Angel. For now, let’s enjoy ourselves while we can.” He pulled out two more Pokéballs and grinned as Aziraphale’s face brightened like the sun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two most popular coordinators in Edenia discuss how to get out of the most important contest of their careers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a lot of motivation for writing nowadays, so i hope I can get a lot of work done quickly for this fic! I hope everyone enjoys the progressing story and sticks around for more.
> 
> PS: Kudos and Comments help me write better 8)

“Having fun over there?” Crowley teased and looked up from feeding his friend’s Slurpuff a treat.  
Aziraphale laughed, covered head to toe in the coils of Crowley’s Pokémon. He pet the smiling Serperior that was wrapped around his shoulders and chest, “It’s _always_ fun to see your delightful friends, dear boy.” He winced as the Ekans at his feet constricted too tight about his ankles, “Ah, easy, little one!”  
Crowley clicked his tongue and snapped his fingers at the smallest Pokémon, “Ekans! Bad girl!” The purple poison-type released its grip and hissed apologetically, to which the Angel gave her a pat on the back.

Crowley ran a brush through Ninetales’s fur, “No wonder you always win your appeals’ rounds, your Pokémon are simply divine…” the Demon spoke, almost in awe.  
Aziraphale looked up from watching the Seviper around his middle nuzzle his stomach, “That truly means a lot coming from you, Crowley,” he smiled earnestly, “I adore how strong your Pokémon are, they are so lovely and intimidating in the appeals’ round, but they truly shine during the battle portion.”

The Demon blushed a bit and looked away, mumbling something.  
“What was that, Crowley?” Aziraphale asked absently, getting the Ekans to slither onto his arm.  
“...I said it's a shame we can't compete _together_,” Crowley smiled up at his friend, “on the same team, I mean.”  
Aziraphale blushed at that before beaming, “That sounds delightful,” he sighed dreamily, “I would love to see how our Pokémon perform together!”  
The Demon smiled as his Serperior slithered off of Aziraphale to play with the Slurpuff and Togekiss on the floor, “They certainly get along well…” he looked back up to his friend, “Do you remember the day we met?”

The Angel looked up from giving the Ekans a scritch on its chin and smiled fondly at Crowley, “How could I forget? It was after my very first contest victory in Nodswin Town.”  
Crowley kicked his feet up to lay down on the sofa and the Angel’s Ninetales rested her head on his lap, “Yeah, you were signing autographs and taking pictures outside with the other coordinators. Though I didn't watch the contest, I could tell you would become a fan favourite.”  
“It was certainly a surprise, I had no idea I would be so popular after my very first contest,” Aziraphale admitted and looked at his Ninetales, “Then my Vulpix ran off and I went to go look for her.”  
Crowley smiled, “She caught the scent of my Snivy. I had just caught the little bugger.” He watched his Serperior slither past the many bookshelves, playing a game of chase with the Slurpuff and Togekiss, “I was a bit worried she’d singe him, honestly.”  
“But no,” the Angel laughed lightly, “she just wanted to play. And then you and I met!” The Ninetales and Seviper both joined the others’ game, dashing around the shop yet being careful not to break anything.

The Demon looked up at the bookshop’s high ceiling, “I wish I could stay here instead of the hotel…” he admitted.  
Aziraphale’s face fell as he tickled the Ekans now in his lap, “I know, dear boy, but it would be too risky for the press to see you at my place. You could spend the night if you’d like but you would have to leave fairly early.”  
Crowley smiled softly and held a hand out low to the ground, his small Ekans slithering from Azirphale’s lap to curl around her trainer’s arm, “That sounds pretty nice, actually…” his gaze flicked over to the Angel across from him, “Want me to make dinner for us?”  
Aziraphale tried to hide how excited he was to hear that, “Oh really, dear boy, you don't have to! Even though it _has_ been a while since I've had the pleasure of trying your food…”  
Crowley grinned, sat up, and set his Ekans on a nearby bookshelf, lest she get trampled in the other Pokémon's fun, “Give me twenty minutes, Angel.” He set off towards the stairs that led up to Aziraphale’s flat.  
“I bought fresh ingredients for pasta just today, they're in the fridge and pantry!” the blond called after him with a bright smile before kicking his feet up on his sofa, grabbing a nearby book at random and relaxing.

-~-

After a delicious meal, the two ‘rival’ coordinators resumed their discussion for how to get out of the Soho contest.  
“So before the show, you’ll cut the lighting rig wires?” Aziraphale asked, putting away the now-clean silverware.  
Crowley nodded and handed him the plate he had finished washing; his longish red hair was tied back in a ponytail, “Yeah, I’m thinking I should do it before anyone gets there, maybe even the night before.”  
The Angel frowned and began drying the plate, “They surely have security cameras, Crowley, how do you suppose you’ll get inside during the night?”  
“See, that’s kind of where I would like your help,” Crowley smiled and took the other plate out of the soapy water in the sink, “your Togekiss knows the move Thunder Wave, yeah?”  
Aziraphale looked at him warily, “That’s… correct.” 

Crowley handed him the plate with a playful tilt of his head, “They probably don't have any cameras near the power box outside the arena.”  
Aziraphale looked a bit scandalized, “You want me to tamper with the electricity to short out the cameras!? That's a bit extreme, isn't it?”  
The Demon leant on the counter and stared at his friend with his peculiar golden eyes, “So harmlessly shorting out a power box for a day is crossing a line but me causing hundreds of pounds in stage damages is fine by you?”  
Aziraphale had to pause at that, lips pursed in thought. He wordlessly dried the dish in his hands.  
“This is the best thing we can do to buy us time,” Crowley reasoned, “we still have to find a way to avoid competing, at least against each other.” He went back to washing up.  
Aziraphale put away the dry plate and thought hard about his options. “I’m the Angel of Edenia, I’m the region’s poster coordinator for goodness, light, and elegance,” he said, reaching for the wet glass Crowley offered him, “But I suppose even a Wurmple will turn.” He dried the glass inside and out, as if punctuating his statement.

“Is that a yes?” Crowley asked, smiling at the Angel out of the corner of his eye.  
“It is.” Aziraphale smiled back, “The contest is in five days, so I suggest we lay low until the night before and then go through with our plan.”  
The redheaded man shook his head, “No, we can't hide from the press. People _know_ we’re in the same town, Angel, they’ll be expecting us to be out and about town, training for the show. We should appear proper for the press.”  
“But I don't _like_ the press!” Aziraphale whined, “they’re always badgering me with questions and asking to record my practice sessions with my Pokémon and it's so tiring…”

Crowley smiled and dried his hands off, “Poor Angel, glitz and glamour of celebrity life not your style?”  
The blond sighed, “I love entertaining people, that's why I became a coordinator! But I just wish I wasn't such a popular one. ‘Angel of Edenia’ is a hard title to live up to.” He confessed miserably.  
Crowley frowned a bit, “Does it bother you when I call you that?”  
“N-no,” Aziraphale replied, a bit bashfully, “It's fine when you do it.”  
The two friends smiled at each other and finished cleaning up in comfortable silence.

Upon returning downstairs to the bookshop, Aziraphale gasped in delight and Crowley immediately pulled out his smartphone.  
All six of their Pokémon were laying, fast asleep, in what could only be described as a ‘cuddle puddle’. Serperior and Seviper were forming a circle around Aziraphale’s Pokemon; Slurpuff and Tokegiss were resting against Ninetales for warmth, and around the fire-type’s neck was the little Ekans, hissing in contentment.  
Crowley snapped a few pictures of the adorable scene, “I wish I could post this online,” he said quietly, “My followers love cute pictures.”  
“Could you send one to me?” Aziraphale whispered back, grinning when the Demon nodded. 

“We should probably return these rascals before we go to bed, though,” Crowley pulled out his three Pokéballs, “wouldn't want them waking us up too early.”  
Aziraphale smiled knowingly at the redhead, “You're just saying that because you'll be the one sleeping on the couch.”  
“Nail on head, Angel,” Crowley grinned back and carefully returned his Seviper and Serperior to their balls, “nail on head.”  
Aziraphale gently removed the sleeping Ekans from around his Ninetales’s neck and set it on his own before expertly returning all three of his Pokémon at once.  
“Night, sweetheart,” Crowley whispered before taking his last Pokémon into her ball.

“I’ll bring down some spare blankets and pillows in a moment, would you care for a hot cocoa?” Aziraphale took some throw pillows off of the biggest couch.  
Crowley undid his ponytail and shook his hair loose once more, “Nah, I’m good thanks,” he smiled and set his things aside, “I can put the kettle on for you, though.”  
“Tush, you’re my guest!” Aziraphale held up a hand before heading up the stairs once more.  
Crowley watched him go with a fond smile. Though it could never be often, he truly cherished the moments he could have alone with his best friend. They were fundamental opposites in terms of fashion, attitude, and battle styles; Aziraphale with his bowties, sunniness, and elegance and Crowley with his leather, mysterious air, and raw power… yet he couldn’t think of another person in the entire region- no, in the entire _world_ he’d rather be friends with.

Aziraphale came down, arms full of fluffy down comforters and puffy pillows.  
“I know it's just the beginning of summer, but it can get cold at night, so I hope these are enough,” The Angel unfurled the blankets and laid them over the sofa, “and these are for you.” He held out a neatly-folded bundle of light yellow-striped fabric. Crowley took them and bit back a giant grin, “Pajamas?”  
Aziraphale paused and bit his lower lip, “Erm, they might be a tad big on you…” he looked up and down at his friend’s wiry frame.  
Crowley laughed, “I’m sure they’ll be fine, Angel.”  
A whistle came from upstairs and Aziraphale perked up, “Oh, my kettle! you can change into them if you'd like, I’ll be right down to finish making up the couch!”  
As Crowley watched the blond hop up the stairs, he wondered how someone that excitable could sleep at all.

The Angel poured the boiling water into his prepared mug of cocoa mix and cream. He had a small flash of guilt, remembering Gabriel’s reprimands of his appearance. Aziraphale knew he was soft, but what Gabriel didn't understand was that was part of Aziraphale’s own appeal! With a self-satisfied smile, the blond put a few extra marshmallows into the finished mug.  
Aziraphale carefully made his way back down stairs, mug cupped in his hands, and he looked to the couch to see Crowley already had made it up and was reclining comfortably under some of the comforters, scrolling absently on his phone.

“You didn't have to do that.” Aziraphale called, alerting the redhead and making him shift his gaze up. The Angel sipped his drink.  
Crowley pouted, “You don't have to take care of me so much, Angel, and don’t get all huffy about how I'm your guest again!”  
With a sigh, the blond went to the big light switch on the wall beside the sofa, “Goodnight, Crowley.”  
“What, not gonna tuck me in?” The Demon teased with a grin, “How about a bedtime story? You've surely got enough books around here!”  
Aziraphale gave him a gentle flick on the nose, “You need to abscond before the sun rises tomorrow, dear boy.” He clicked the lights off and the whole shop went dark, save for the small flashes from street lights outside the windows.

Crowley chuckled and set an alarm for four in the morning before setting his phone on the coffee table, “I’ll probably be out of here before you wake up then, so keep it touch yeah?”  
Aziraphale paused and smiled fondly, barely visible in the dark, “Of course. Have a pleasant sleep, dear.” He reached down and pulled the topmost blanket up a little further to his friend’s chin, smoothing out the sides in a manner that can really and truly only be described as ‘tucking in’. The gentleness nearly made Crowley’s heart flutter like a newly-evolved Butterfree.  
He smiled back in the dark. “‘Night, Angel.” Crowley called softly as he watched Aziraphale make his way upstairs to his flat.

Crowley closed his eyes, hoping that their plan would go through alright. Of course he _wanted_ to win his fifth ribbon and go to the Grand Festival, any coordinator worth their salt would; but Crowley _refused_ to have that happen if it meant Aziraphale wouldn't get the same chance. They couldn’t just cancel the whole event, the Soho contest was the last one before the Festival; their final chance at the ribbon. Crowley hissed through his teeth, now more worked up than before. Maybe the answer would come to him in the morning. Until then, he should at least try and sleep. The Demon breathed deeply, taking in the scent of old books, freshly laundered blankets, and the lingering whiff of cocoa with marshmallows; the Demon was soothed, and then he was asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's four days until the contest, and Crowley and Aziraphale keep running into problems. Can the two coordinators lay low and manage to hide their friendship? What will happen when coordinators from their agency show up to check in on them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy long chapter, Batman! I'm really glad with how this one came out, and I really hope all you lovely readers are enjoying it! If you are, why not let me know by dropping a kudos or even a comment? Comments really help me write better. 
> 
> I've had a lot of motivation to write lately, so I hope to have chapter 4 ready to roll soon. Enjoy reading!

Crowley felt like he was falling. He watched himself plummet through the earth, the sky getting further and further away, his skin heating up hotter and hotter. He was crying, he was falling. Crowley saw the sticky, poisonous hands and and the thick tongue of two unseen Pokémon reaching for him. He was falling, he was scared… There was a chiming.

He bolted upright on the couch, breathing hard. Crowley looked around, eyes bleary. He was in a bookshop. He wasn’t falling… The Demon snatched his chiming phone from the coffee table and shut off the alarm. He had been having that nightmare a lot recently. Crowley rubbed his eyes and looked down at himself, dressed in too-big pastel yellow pajamas, and he smiled. He wished he could stay longer, but it was time to go.

Crowley changed into the clothes he wore last night and folded the blankets and pajamas. He gathered his belongings and set out, doing a cursory glance around the lamp-lit street before heading towards his Bentley. He hoped no one had noticed his car parked here last night.   
He turned on some music and sped away, the melodies of the band NidoQueen carrying him towards the training ground next to the contest arena. The press would likely be out early today, eager to see how the Demon was preparing for his fifth contest.

“I should call Aziraphale later,” he murmured to himself, “So he doesn't come to the same park by mistake.” He figured it would be best for them to avoid each other in public, staying as far from each other as possible without rousing any suspicion from the press.  
Crowley was surprised to see another car already in the arena parking lot. He froze and made a move to back up; he knew that car. And he could see the owners already training in the park. The figures stopped and turned. They saw Crowley and were waving.  
Damn it. Crowley grit his teeth in annoyance, but parked the Bentley and got out.

“I thought you got to Soho yesterday.” The tall man beside his Toxicroak rasped.  
The man with a Kecleon in his arms nodded and stepped towards Crowley, “Yeah, Demon, we were looking all over for you.”  
The redhead faked a grin, “Hastur! Ligur! So good to see you two!” He sauntered towards them, casual as could be, “Don't tell me you two came all the way from Hellington to see me?”  
“Believe us,” Ligur began, narrowing his odd-coloured eyes.  
“We didn't _want_ to be here at all.” Hastur finished, and his Toxicroak grunted in agreement.

Crowley frowned, “So Beelz sent you lot to spy on me?”  
The Kecleon in Ligur’s arms growled, and his trainer chuckled, “They don’t trust you, Crowley. They think you’re not taking this contest seriously enough, even though this is your one final step away from being in the Grand Festival.”  
The Demon shoved his hands in his pockets, “I _did_ come here to train.”  
“Well don't let us stop you.” Hastur smiled darkly, “Show us what the fabled Demon of Edenia can do.”

Crowley snarled and brought out his Serperior, the towering grass-type hissing angrily when it saw Hastur and Ligur.  
“Focus, gorgeous,” Crowley called and snapped his fingers, “Go! Leech Seed then use Growth!”  
The Serperior spread small seeds from the leaves on his tail, scattering them in a semicircle in front of him. The grass-type hummed softly and a pale green glow emitted from his body, spreading to the seeds in front of it and making them sprout up into tall, thick, tough-looking vines.  
“Now Dragon Tail!” Crowley called and made a cutting motion with his arm. The Pokémon in front of him sliced its tail through the vines, chopping them down and causing them to fall in a crescent-moon shape.

“Not bad,” Hastur shrugged and his Toxicroak puffed it's poison sacs boredly.  
Ligur rolled his eyes, “Please tell me you have something better planned for the contest.”  
Crowley grit his teeth, “That's what I came here to figure out! I can't practice properly with you creeps breathing down my neck.”  
“Fine, we’ll go.” Ligur turned and walked back to his and Hastur’s car.  
Hastur looked down into Crowley’s gold eyes with his nearly-black ones, “But we’ll be keeping a close eye on you, Demon. ‘Can't have Hellington’s poster boy slacking off now.” He and his Pokémon grinned poisonously, and they turned to get in their car.

Crowley watched them drive off, feeling a heavy weight rest on his shoulder. He turned his head to nuzzle against his Serperior’s scaly snout, “Hey, big guy, you did great.” He smiled and felt the Pokémon nuzzle him back, “Maybe surviving the public will be harder than I thought.”

-~-

Aziraphale smiled in the mirror and adjusted his tartan bowtie. At least going out to be seen by the press meant dressing up a little. It was about ten in the morning, so they would likely be out already. He pulled on a light, powder blue waistcoat and brushed some of his soft blond curls back. Perfect. He packed up his Pokéballs in his pocket and made his way downstairs. He paused as he felt his cell phone buzz in his pocket. He flipped it open quickly.  
“Hello, this is Aziraphale!” He chimed.  
“Hey Angel,” Crowley’s voice came through, “I’m training at the park near the arena.”  
The blond beamed in delight, “Good morning, Crowley! Thank you for letting me know, I was about to go there myself…”

“The press is already buzzing about, some people from the newspaper asked me what I thought about you.” There was a smile in his voice that made Aziraphale blush.  
“Oh?” The Angel intoned, “and what did you say?”  
Crowley laughed, “I said, ‘though I've never met him, he looks like a coordinator that knows his stuff. I can still beat him, though’, sorry, had to give ‘em what they wanted to hear.” Aziraphale could almost see the way Crowley would shrug and tilt his head.  
“No need to apologize, dear boy,” Aziraphale gave his own smile, “If you’ll be at the arena’s park, then I think I’ll go downtown.”  
“Sounds good to me,” A hiss came through the receiver, “Ah, yeah Serperior, I’ll tell him! Angel, Serperior says hi.”  
The blond laughed at that, “Helloooo handsome!” He cooed back, “Are you behaving well?”  
“He’s doing great,” Aziraphale could hear his proud grin, “Can I come back over tonight?”  
Aziraphale thought for a moment, “Yes, that should be fine.” The door to the bookshop jingled opened and the Angel narrowed his eyes at the two people coming in, “See you later, pip pip!” He hung up.

Aziraphale warily approached the two rather grubby-looking gentlemen, “Good morning, I’m afraid the shop is closed.”  
The shorter of the two glowered, “The door was unlocked.” He stated simply.  
“We heard word that the Angel of Edenia lived in a bookshop, but I never thought it was true,” the taller looked around, “How peculiar…”  
“Oh, are you two fans?” Aziraphale guessed, dreading the answer  
The short one smiled darkly, “No, I’m afraid we’re on the side of the Demon.” His voice was more of a growl.  
“From the Hellington Coordinators Bureau,” The white-haired, raspy one smiled as well, “Hope you don't mind us checking up on the competition.”

The Angel was intimidated but stood his ground, “I _do_, in fact, mind!” He puffed out his barreled chest, “I refuse to speak to the Demon’s henchmen, now please leave!” He made prim shooing motions with his hands.  
The growly one crossed his arms, “Looks like the Angel is a bit of a feisty one.”  
“Perhaps you’ll last _more_ than ten seconds against the Demon,” the taller one rasped, “We’ll go, Angel. But you had best watch your back.”  
“See, us folks from Hellington have a reputation for playing dirty.” The shorter one leaned close to Aziraphale, and the blond looked curiously as a floating red line appeared over his head… only to flash into a Kecleon, that cried out and made the Angel shout and fall backwards.

The two creepy men laughed wildly at the Angel’s reaction.   
“See you at the contest, loser!” The tall one waved and left the shop.  
The short one with the Kecleon on his head leaned over Aziraphale’s body, “Try not to lose the appeals’ round, the Demon is eager to beat you himself.”  
Aziraphale watched them go before standing up and dusting himself off. He felt bad for Crowley, if those were the type of people he had to deal with at his agency… He fixed his rumpled waistcoat and sighed. Oh well, he could ask Crowley about it tonight. In the meantime, the Angel smiled and left his shop, locking it behind him, it was time to do what he loved; entertaining.

-~-

A small crowd had gathered in the arena park, eager to watch the Demon of Edenia battle whomever felt brave enough to take him on.  
The redheaded man laughed as the defeated trainer in front of him withdrew her fainted Excadrill, “Who’s next!? Me and Serperior can go all day!” The Pokémon in front of him let out a loud hiss and thrashed its tail, demonstrating its power. Crowley liked showing off to his fans, liked being the _heel_ type. Boasting yet loveable, and it let the ordinary trainers that beat him feel like some kind of hero. His character was fun, the Demon decided.

A distinguished-looking woman in a grey pantsuit pushed her way to the front of the crowd and held up a pristine, polished Pokéball. She smiled gently, “I shall be your next opponent.”  
Crowley’s eyes widened slightly behind his sunglasses but he didn't falter in his bravado, “Alright, Miss, let's see what you can do!” Crowley backed up and grinned, “Ready, Serperior?” The grass-type cried out excitedly and slithered back and forth menacingly, staring the woman down.  
The woman smirked and tossed her Pokéball, the crowd ‘ooh’-ing as they saw her Pokémon appear.   
There was no mistake, then… it was _her_.

Crowley’s mind flashed back to one of his and Aziraphale’s drunken video chats...  
_”So, a-are all the idiots at your agency as awful as Gabriel?” Crowley laughed and took another shot of vodka.  
The Angel on his screen giggled and nearly spilled his glass of scotch, “Oh, yes! There's that strange one that's always by his side, Sandalphon, and that woman Uriel is always so mean to me!” He pouted, “‘Says I have too much fun on stage, ‘says I’m childish…”  
The Demon frowned, “Ah, she doesn't know what being a real coordinator’s like,” he pointed to the blond on screen, “You! Are _bloody adorable_ when you do your little dance with your Slurpuff.”_

_Aziraphale blushed and poured himself another drink, “W-well thank you, dear,” he hid his smile behind the glass, “Oh, but the worst other person at Heavens-Above is Michael. She used to be the best coordinator there ‘til I joined, but she is still too strong for me to beat. Her and that Espeon of hers…”   
Crowley reclined in his computer chair, “She a mean one too?”  
“Not so much mean as…” Aziraphale tried to find the words in his alcohol-clouded mind, “She’s ruthless. She never gives her opponents an inch, and she stays so calm during everything! It makes me a might nervous.”  
Crowley smiled, “It’s alright, Angel, I hope I can fight this ‘Michael’ one day, teach her a lesson!”  
The two friends laughed and held their glasses up to their cameras in a mock cheers_.

Crowley shook his head to get back into fighting spirit. The Espeon was sitting still, it's tail swishing hypnotically. Michael smiled, calmly; was she letting him make the first move?  
The Demon snapped his fingers, “Let’s start with Leech Seed!”   
The Serperior spun around and shot a barrage of small seeds at the Espeon.   
Michael’s smile widened and the seeds seemed to hit an invisible wall in front of Espeon before being shot back at Serperior. Luckily the grass-type dodged the seeds, but Crowley grit his teeth. What was that?  
“Don't tell me the Demon of Edenia doesn’t know about Magic Bounce,” the woman gasped in fake surprise, “Your little tricks like that won't do anything but come back to hit you~ Now it’s my turn. Espeon, Dazzling Gleam!”  
The purple psychic-type howled a musical tone and let loose a beautiful, pink-tinted burst of energy.

Crowley grit his teeth, “Dodge it, Serperior!”   
The grass-type quickly slithered out of the way and its trainer grinned, “Good, now strike it with a Dragon Tail!”  
Serperior hissed and, fast as a whip, whirled around to deliver a powerful blow. The Espeon cried out and the crowd cheered at the Pokémon’s power.

Michael frowned, “Espeon, Psychic into Morning Sun!” She commanded.  
The Espeon jumped up and away from the Serperior and it's eyes glowed a bright pink colour, and the crowd winced as a massive amount of intense psychic energy enveloped the battlefield. Serperior hissed in pain and Crowley called out to it.  
“Hang in there, Serperior! Go attack it while it’s healing!” He pointed to the Espeon, that was humming as it used sunlight to heal itself.  
Serperior coiled up like a spring before lunging at the Espeon, wrapping itself around the psychic type.  
The woman smiled, “Wil-o-Wisp!”   
Crowley’s eyes widened as he heard the move’s name, “Serperior, let go now!”  
It was too late, as the Espeon opened its mouth and let out ghostly wisps that burned into Serperior’s leafy body. The serpentine Pokémon hissed loudly in pain, and the crowd gasped. 

Serperior let go of the Espeon, but it did not withdraw. It's slit red eyes glared at the Espeon, awaiting orders from its trainer.  
“Serperior, use Leaf Tornado!” Crowley shouted, wanting to finish this match as soon as possible. Serperior summoned thousands of razor-sharp leaves and shot them, spiralling, towards the Espeon.  
Michael smiled and pointed to the leaves heading towards her Pokémon, “Psychic again, Espeon!” She called.  
The purple-furred Pokémon let loose another field of psychic energy, this time catching the leaves in mid-air and throwing them right back towards Serperior!  
The grass-type, still reeling from the psychic blast, winced and hissed as its already-injured body was pelted with its own sharp leaves. It writhed before bowing its head weakly. The crowd roared at the realization that the Demon was defeated.

Michael took a breath and smiled, holding up a hand to her Pokémon to get it to stop, “Very good, Espeon.” She called her Pokémon back to its ball and looked across the field to Crowley, who was spraying a bottle of medicinal potion onto his Pokémon's wounds, “I’ll forgive you for this loss because your poor Serperior has been battling all morning,” She called, making the redheaded man look at her, “But don't you dare _insult_ the Angel by giving such an awful performance.” She turned on her heel and the crowd parted for her as she walked away.  
Crowley grit his teeth and seethed. There was no doubt she was from Aziraphale’s agency… what was it called? Heavens-Above Talent?   
The redhead pet his Serperior, “You’ve done a great job today, gorgeous, let’s go have a rest.” He recalled the grass-type to its ball and wordlessly walked away from the crowd, that upon understanding they wouldn’t get to see anymore Demon battles today, dissipated.

-~-

“As you fine ladies and gentlemen can see,” Aziraphale tipped the large wooden box to the side for the children stood in front of him to see, “the box is entirely empty!” He set it back upright and produced a large square of fabric from his sleeve, “Now if I cover the box with this sheet…” he ‘miracled’ a trick collapsing wand from ‘thin air’ and waved it mysteriously over the covered box, “and add a little angelic magic~...”  
All the children leaned forward, expectant smiles on their faces.

Aziraphale grinned and snapped his fingers, the sheet flying off of the box in a cloud of pink sparkles! Out of the box jumped his big, fluffy Slurpuff, which twirled around and made a silly face. The children laughed and applauded, and the blond man beamed with pride.   
“Thank you! Thank you all!” Aziraphale and Slurpuff bowed to the small audience.  
A young boy held a hand out to the Slurpuff, “I’ve never seen a Slurpuff in person before!” The fairy-type Pokémon gave the child’s hand a slobbery lick, making the boy laugh and groan in mock-disgust.  
A dreamy-looking girl looked up to Aziraphale, “Mr. Angel, you're amazing! I hope I can be a coordinator like you when I get big!”  
Touched, the blond brought a trick flower out of his jacket pocket and handed it to the girl, “For you, dear lady, I hope to see you take the stage one day.” The girl blushed and took the flower, smiling like the sun.

The children all waved to the Angel as they left, and Aziraphale gave his Slurpuff a small cupcake, “You did excellent today, dear boy! I wish our magic act would work for contests…” the Pokémon slurped up the treat and barked happily.   
Aziraphale felt his pocket buzz and he pulled out his cell phone. A text from Crowley?  
>> Angel, bad news<<  
>>What is it? Did something happen at the arena?<<  
>>Could say that. When can we meet?<<  
Aziraphale thought for a moment and looked around the empty downtown park, >>The sun is setting soon, why don’t you pick up dinner for us and come to the bookshop?<<  
Crowley sent the sushi emoji followed by a question mark, to which Aziraphale smiled,   
>>Yes please! See you soon! :) <<

Aziraphale packed up his magic stuff and started to walk home, his Slurpuff at his side. As the two walked past some storefronts, the fairy Pokémon stopped suddenly, and the Angel turned to see what had happened, when he stopped as well. A bakery that had delicious and adorable-looking pastries. The blond’s mind flashed to the sushi he would have later, but then he looked down at his Slurpuff, who was giving him wide, begging eyes.  
“I suppose we’ve both earned another treat.” Aziraphale smiled and went into the shop with his beloved fairy-type.

-~-

Crowley parked his Bentley in an alleyway this time, not wanting to risk being discovered at the bookshop.   
Seeing the redhead slink towards the door, two styrofoam take-out boxes under his arms, Aziraphale dashed to the door to unlock it.   
“You know, I’ve been wondering why you even own a bookshop,” Crowley grinned as he came inside, “You’re on the road so much and when you _are_ in Soho you never sell anything.”  
Aziraphale returned the smile, “Dear boy, it's precisely _because_ I’m on the road so much that I have this shop! I can't possibly take all my books with me on the road. When they’re here, they're safe.” He gave a contented hum as he stroked a nearby shelf fondly.

Crowley laughed and sauntered inside, setting the boxes on the coffee table before flopping down on the same big sofa he had slept on last night. He sighed and took his sunglasses off, “Now, I need to tell you something important.” The Demon cast an even look at the Angel, who sat across from him and nodded, equally serious.  
“Yes, tell me what happened to you today.” Aziraphale reached for a box and a packet of chopsticks.  
The Demon looked down, “I think people from our agencies are spying on us.”  
“Wait, _our_ agencies? I thought only _your_ compatriots we're here!” Aziraphale gasped, “the two odd looking ones! One had a Kecleon!” He shook his head as he took a piece of roll sushi from his tray, “Gave me quite the fright, that one…”  
Crowley looked pissed, “They came _here!?_” he looked around the shop, “Bless, it's not safe for me to be here…”

Aziraphale held up two hands, “Try to relax, you parked far away, right? And the blinds are closed here, and I don't think they’ll be coming back to bother me anymore.”  
“It's the fact they bothered you in the first place,”  
Crowley growled, “Not that your side’s any better.”  
“Yes, you said something about my side earlier, what happened?” Aziraphale lifted a piece of roll sushi to his mouth.  
Crowley took a piece from his own tray, “Yeah, Miss Prissy-Pantsuit, Michael I think.” He said with a full mouth, “Gave my Serperior the runaround and had the gall to insult me.”   
Aziraphale frowned, “Oh, Michael truly is a ruthless coordinator…”

“You don’t think they suspect anything, do you?” Crowley looked searchingly into the Angel’s eyes, “We’ve been so good at keeping us a secret.”  
Aziraphale shook his head, “I believe they are only here to pressure us into doing well in the contest and to discourage the opponent.”  
Crowley smiled and held up a sushi piece, “Shame for them, there’ll be no contest to pressure us into~”  
Aziraphale laughed and held up one of his own rolls, “Indeed.” They ‘cheers’ed the pieces and laughed with full mouths and fuller hearts.

“So what else did you do today?” Crowley asked, shrugging, “besides get tormented by Hastur and Ligur?”  
The Angel beamed, “I put on a little magic show at the downtown square nearby.”  
“Oh no, not the magic act!” Crowley rolled his eyes playfully, “Did the kids like it this time, at least?”  
“As a matter of fact, they _did_,” Aziraphale smiled proudly, “Seems small town children have better taste than those brats in Donlon…”  
“Big city kids aren't all bad?” The redhead smiled knowingly, “It was that one kid with the Squirtle, wasn’t it?”  
“Oh lord, you _saw_ that?” The blond hid his face and whined.  
“‘There’s a false bottom in the box!’” Crowley teased with a fake high voice, “‘now look inside my Squirtle’s mouth, empty right?’ Then psssssssssht!” Crowley hissed with laughter and mimed spraying water with his hands, “you looked so cute and sad with your soaking wet cape~” he scrunched up his face cutely.

Aziraphale pouted before it melted into a fond smile, “I’m so glad that we’re friends, dear boy,” he admitted, “without your support from the shadows, I don't know if I could have become the second best coordinator in Edenia.”  
Crowley gulped and blushed, “Second best?”  
“After you, of course!” Aziraphale beamed and Crowley’s hands twitched, craving his sunglasses.  
The Demon managed a cool smile and decided to be honest, “Truthfully, same here. Talking to you after a tough day is like a huge sigh of relief. I feel like I can just be myself around you.”  
They smiled at each other, _something_ hanging in the air, but remaining unsaid.

Crowley slapped his knees and stood up, “Well I beat be heading back to the hotel. Got another day of avoiding people tomorrow I suppose.” He gave a half-shrug.  
“Right,” Aziraphale got up as well, “I’ll message you tomorrow morning where I decide to spend the day.” He followed the redhead to the door.  
The Demon gave Aziraphale a warm smile, “Thank you, Angel,” The blond nearly jumped as Crowley wrapped his arms around him in a hug. The Demon smiled to himself when he felt Aziraphale’s arms joined in and held him close.   
The Angel pulled back, face a sweet pink colour and beaming, “I hope you have a pleasant night.” Aziraphale spoke softly.  
Crowley smiled and opened the door, “You too, ‘night, Angel!” He waved and sauntered down the dark street, turning the corner to the alley where he parked the Bentley.  
Aziraphale leaned against the door frame and sighed. What a nice Demon…

Safe in the Bentley, Crowley bumped his head against the steering wheel to the beat of NidoQueen’s ‘Kalosian Rhapsody’. He leaned back in his seat and breathed out his stress. _You took a shot, Crowley,_ he reasoned to himself, _It went well. It went really well._ the Demon smiled and changed songs. The upbeat tune of ‘Don’t Stop Me-owth Now’ filled the Bentley and Crowley sped off to his hotel.

Luckily the receptionist didn't question why he didn't stay the previous night when he got there. Crowley traced the outline of the three Pokéballs in his pocket and tapped his foot as he rode the elevator up. He couldn’t stop feeling nervous. Since he met with Hastur and Ligur and then that scene with Michael… he was so stressed he didn't notice he was already unlocking his room door. The Demon shook his head and tried to relax. He locked the door behind him and shimmied out of his clothes. Crowley found himself wishing he had a nice, oversized paid or pajamas.

Crowley smiled as he got into bed, yeah, he should think of nice things like that to relax him. Petting Togekiss was nice, drinking wine and laughing was nice… Crowley slithered further under the hotel sheets, hugging the Angel was nice… so nice…

Crowley felt like he was falling, about to crash through the ground like in his other dreams. He winced, ready for the terrible impact and burning and falling, but it never came. Instead warm, soft arms wrapped around his slender body and the Demon wasn’t falling anymore. He was being lifted by an angel, by his guardian angel… he felt wings begin to form on his own back, and he laughed with his beautiful golden angel. They were flying and embracing and laughing. He was happy. He was sleeping.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley wants to clear his head of contest-related things for a bit. But unspoken feelings might rear their head when he and Aziraphale plan to get away from Soho for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This chapter is a bit of a short one, but I certainly hope it will tide you lovelies over until I can finish chapter 5 (which will be a DOOZY, I'm sure). We're hinting at a little romance now, so I hope you like that as well as the regular Pokémon shenanigans! 
> 
> As always, I adore getting comments and feedback from everyone, so please don't be shy! Take care, everyone, love you lots!

Crowley woke up to warm sunlight and the sounds of Pidoves cooing coming from outside his hotel room window. The redhead yawned and sat up, happy to have had a better dream than his ones in the past few days. Unfortunately, that dream involved certain feelings he didn't quite want to think about yet. Crowley got up and strolled to the bathroom, deciding to set those thoughts aside… he had more pressing matters to think about.

The shower ran warm, and Crowley sighed as he wet his shoulder-length hair. He had to find out where Hastur and Ligur were staying in town, maybe he could find a way to keep them away from him and the Angel until the contest. Crowley needed to make up a better plan, he and Aziraphale had only planned up to sabotaging the arena’s power and damaging the stage lights to buy them more time. The contest was in _three days_, what could they do to avoid fighting each other? As the Demon washed his hair, ideas flashed in his mind.

Crowley could pose as a Contest Board executive and tell the judges the roster has been changed for the Soho Contest? No, he was way too recognizable. He could pretend his Pokémon were very sick? No, the press would have a field day over the Demon not caring for his Pokémon properly… He and Aziraphale could simply not show up and run away together to the next region? Fat chance, their agents would track them down like trained Arcanines.  
The redhead washed his face and growled in his throat. What a headache this all was… even if he and Aziraphale didn’t fight each other, they both would still need another ribbon each to qualify for the Grand Festival, and the Soho Contest was the last one before the Festival happened and the contest season ended. Crowley shut the water off and got out of the shower. He needed to clear his mind for a bit, feel nice again… he smiled at his cell phone on the bathroom countertop.

-~-

Aziraphale jumped slightly as his cell phone rang and he set his book carefully aside to answer it. He smiled at the caller ID.  
“Good morning, dear boy!” He sang happily into the device.  
A laugh came through, “You seem to be in a good mood, Angel. That's just what I was hoping.”  
The blond tucked his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he reached beside him for his mug of cocoa, “I’m enjoying a relaxing day at the shop today,” he said almost proudly, “I don't intend to flounce about for the cameras _every_ day before the contest.”  
Crowley made a noise, “Could we maybe not talk about the contest today? I just don't want to stress about it for a day.”

“Of course, dear,” Aziraphale took a sip of his cocoa and hummed in bliss, “So what are your plans for the day, then?”  
Crowley hummed, “I dunno,” There was a pregnant pause, “I think I would just be happy to talk with you all day like this.”  
Aziraphale felt a blush rise to his cheeks, and he bit his lip, “That sounds rather nice. I _do_ so enjoy our talks.” 

Crowley chuckled on the other end, “So, what are you wearing~?” He teased.  
The Angel blushed furiously and looked around, “Wha- do you see me or something!?”  
“Wait, what?” Crowley sounded incredulous, “What do you mean?”  
“I’m in the _bath_, you letch!” Aziraphale cried and sat up straight, water and bubbles nearly sloshing over the sides of his claw foot tub.  
The Demon burst out laughing, “Angel, I was _kidding_, I’m sorry! Oh my god, that's hilarious…” he gasped.  
Aziraphale frowned, “It wasn't _that_ funny…” he cleared his throat, “A-anyway, what are you doing now?” Aziraphale asked, taking another drink of his cocoa.  
“Resting in bed. Listening to my favourite coordinator.” The smile in his voice made Aziraphale’s heart flutter.

Aziraphale swished his feet in the water, “You know, if you want to get away for a while, it's not that far of a drive to Nodswin town.”  
“Nodswin is even smaller than Soho, so there's probably not even any press there,” Crowley sounded like he was smiling, “we could go to that restaurant we went to before.”  
“The one we went to after we first met…” Aziraphale smiled fondly, “That sounds lovely, dear.”  
“I’ll pick you up in ten?”  
“It's a date!” Aziraphale grinned and flipped his phone closed. It took him a few seconds to realize what he had said.

-~-

Crowley was still holding his phone to his ear after Aziraphale had hung up, laying in minor shock, when his phone rang.  
“I mean _obviously_ not a _date-date!_” The voice of a very panicked Angel came though, “I just meant that plan sounded lovely so I just said date, but that's not saying I would dislike a date-date! Oh, I mean-!”  
“Angel?”  
“...yes, Crowley?”  
The Demon smiled, “Wear something nice, I’ll see you in ten.”  
Aziraphale made a little content noise, “Alright. See you soon.”  
The redhead sighed in relief and stared up at the hotel ceiling. He got spooked by the word ‘date’, but he thought he recovered in his typical cool style. He thought about what to wear, and should he bring flowers? Chocolates? _Was_ this a date-date!? Crowley held his face, feeling the heat coming off of his cheeks. Okay, maybe he wasn't taking this as ‘cool’ as he thought.

Crowley wondered what Aziraphale would wear… knowing him, it would be something adorably old-fashioned. A vest, perhaps? It was too warm for a waistcoat. Should he dress up fancy too? This wasn't a real date, but he didn't want to look bad. Would he bring his Pokémon? Probably.   
Crowley looked at the clock radio on the nightstand, and sat up. He had to get out of his own head and think positively. They were getting out of town and away from all those prying eyes; and they were even going to the restaurant they went to after they first met! The redhead got up to get ready and smiled as he remembered that day. 

-~-

_”Try a Leech Seed, boy!” Crowley called and pointed to the round target he traced in the dirt. The small green Pokémon next to him hissed and tossed a wave of seeds at the circle, each one landing inside and sprouting small leaves, “Great work! What else can you do? Can you do a Vine Whip?”_  
The Snivy hopped into the air and with brilliant dexterity, snapped a thin vine over each seed, taking the leaves off of each one.  
Crowley grinned and dug through his black leather satchel, “You’re amazing! I can't wait to enter a contest with you!” He took out a small bag of Pokémon treats, tossing one to the smiling Snivy. It caught it with a vine and popped it in its mouth, crunching happily.  
“Heh, can you catch another one?” The redhead smiled and tossed another treat high in the air. 

_“Vulpix, no!!”_  
Crowley looked over just in time to see a bright orange blur jump up and snap the treat right out of the air. It landed and he saw it was a very small Vulpix crunching the treat, and his Snivy hid behind one of his legs, frightened of the fire-type. Crowley looked up to see a rather chubby man running (well jogging) over to them. He was wearing old-fashioned clothes, and his blond curls bounced with every step.  
The blond painted as he stopped in front of Crowley, “I’m terribly sorry about my Vulpix! After the crowd left, she ran right over here!” He picked up the Pokémon and looked at her sternly, “Vulpix, apologize to the nice man right now!” The fire-type licked his cheek and yipped. The trainer blushed, likely embarrassed beyond belief. 

_Crowley couldn't help but laugh, “Don’t worry about it,” he held out another treat to the Vulpix, who took it happily, “she’s beautiful.”_  
The other man smiled, relieved, “Thank you, she and I just won our first contest!” He pointed to his chest, where a frilly blue ribbon was pinned to his coat collar.  
“Oh you're a coordinator, too?” The redhead smirked and opened his jacket to reveal a pastel orange ribbon pinned to the inside, “I won this baby down in Hellington.” His attention was brought to his grass-type that was tugging on his pant leg. Crowley picked up the Snivy and held him towards the Vulpix, “She’s not gonna hurt you, see?”  
The blond gasped, “Oh! What a darling little Snivy!” He carefully held out his Vulpix so the two Pokémon could see each other better, “Be nice, darling.” 

_Vulpix sniffed the trembling Snivy, and licked its head, making the Snivy hiss happily. The two Pokémon smiled at each other, and their trainers did, too._  
“Have you been in the contest circuit long?” Crowley asked, pointing a Pokéball at his Snivy and returning it.  
The blond shook his head, “No, this was my very first one!” He smiled, returning his Vulpix to her ball, “My agent told me that the Nodswin contest would be easier than the one in Aberhaven.”  
“You live in Aberhaven? Can’t say I’ve ever been.” Crowley shrugged, starting to walk down the alley.  
The blond man followed, “Oh, gracious, no! I live in Soho but the agency I’m with is in Aberhaven,” he rolled his baby blue eyes, “to be quite honest, I don't much care for that city. It's far too cold, and everything is dreadfully expensive there.”  
Crowley shook his head, “I hear you, Hellington is awful,” he shrugged, “but it's where my agency’s at, so what are you gonna do?” 

_“Pardon me,” the other coordinator tapped him on the shoulder, “but where _are_ we going?”_  
Crowley gave him an easy smile, “I was going to grab a bite to eat. You're welcome to join me, of course.”  
The man blushed and smiled back, “That sounds excellent.” He gasped and brought a hand to his chest, “Oh dear, I completely forgot!” He held his hand out, and Crowley couldn’t help but notice how nice his nails were. Professionally done?  
“My name is Aziraphale! Up-and-coming Pokémon coordinator of the Heavens-Above Talent Agency!” Aziraphale beamed and the redhead swore it lit up the alley they were in.  
Crowley smiled and shook his hand, “Call me Crowley, I’m with the Hellington Coordinators Bureau.”

_Crowley turned on his heel and sauntered down the alley, “My car’s parked over here. What sort of restaurant do you want to go to?”  
Aziraphale smiled and followed him, “Someplace with sweets, please!” _

-~-

Crowley pulled up the address of the restaurant on his phone as he finished getting dressed. Skinny jeans, a black t-shirt, and a loose grey scarf; a perfect look for going to lunch with his best friend. He and Aziraphale have known each other for a little over a year at this point, but Crowley seriously couldn't see himself getting along so well with anyone else. Certainly not Hastur or Ligur, they were just colleagues at the Bureau, and Beelz only wanted him for their agency because of his natural talent at contests. Crowley paused after spraying some cologne on his wrists. Did he seriously not have any friends besides Aziraphale?

A pop came from behind him and through the bathroom doorway, he saw Seviper had come out of his Pokéball all on his own. Crowley put on his sunglasses and grinned at the poison-type, and he leaned down to pet the scaly head.   
“You ready for lunch with the Angel, old friend?” The redhead asked, and the Seviper trilled in excitement and bumped its head against Crowley’s legs.   
_Nah_, Crowley thought, grabbing his keys and other Pokéballs and sauntering out of his room, Seviper in tow, _It doesn't matter how many friends I have, the ones I have now are the best in the world._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day out of Soho should let Crowley forget about the contest for a while... but what other problems will he and Aziraphale face?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry this chapter is a bit late. I hope you all enjoy and as always, I adore getting comments from you!

When Crowley pulled up to the book shop, he could see Aziraphale just locking up. When the blond turned to face the Bentley, Crowley couldn't help but smile at his outfit choice. Aziraphale was wearing an airy powder-blue shirt with a frilly collar and lace ruffle in front. Paired with white dress pants and shiny grey dress shoes, he made for quite the heavenly sight. The Angel quickly got into the passenger seat and set his white satchel in the back.  
“This will be ever so nice,” Aziraphale said with a smile, buckling up, “I do hope a day out of town will help clear our heads of all the fuss.”  
The Demon nodded and began driving, “I can't believe the contest is three days away. Our plantings delay the contest needs to work.” He frowned.  
Aziraphale placed a gentle, almost tentative hand on Crowley’s shoulder, “It will, dear boy, and while the contest directors are sorting it out, we’ll find a way to avoid our fated battle.”

Crowley had to chuckle at that, albeit a bit sardonically, “That’s really what it is, huh? The fated battle between The Angel and Demon of Edenia. Good versus Evil, finally facing off.”  
“You're not evil.” Aziraphale said softly, gasping a bit as Crowley plowed over a speed bump.  
“It's my character, Angel,” the redhead zoomed past the ‘now leaving Soho’ sign, “I’m a heel, the bad guy people love to hate. They pretend to hate it when I win but they like me all the same.”   
The blond could see his point; he had seen a few of Crowley’s performances and he remembered how the crowd had booed when he came on stage, but cheered as he finished. Both Crowley _and_ the audience acted during the contests. Aziraphale hoped that he, himself, could perform well enough to keep being Edenia’s perfect Angel.

Aziraphale watched the scenery go by, “To be quite honest with you, I truly would like to have a contest battle with you. Without the high stakes, of course,” he smiled as he imagined it, “You have such a way of commanding the stage, and you make your Pokémon’s moves seem so sharp and dangerous, but still so lovely and controlled.”   
The redhead felt his face heat up at the praise, “Well, uh, same here. I love watching your appeals rounds, but even when you battle, it's like your conducting a symphony. You really know how to show off your Pokémon’s best qualities.”  
The Angel looked back at his friend and felt his heart flutter. They had each always sang each other’s praises about their contest performances, but it somehow felt different now.   
With the sounds of NidoQueen playing softly from the speakers, the two friends continued their drive to Nodswin Town in comfortable, happy silence.

They got to the quiet little town in about half an hour, and Crowley handed his smart phone to the Angel beside him, “Here, I wrote the street name in my notes app.”   
“What’s your password?” Aziraphale asked, taking the device.”  
“The number six-thousand,” Crowley shrugged, “no reason why.”  
Aziraphale unlocked the phone and gave a coy smile, “Odd, I would have imagined the number six-six-six somewhere…”  
Crowley snorted out a laugh and looked around at the quaint storefronts and other buildings, “Just check the street name, Angel.”  
Aziraphale opened up the notes, “Ah, it’s on Taurus Lane, I think it's just up ahead.”

Crowley pulled the Bentley into the small parking lot beside the bakery, pleased to see only a few other cars there. He and the Angel got out, looking around the surrounding area.  
“This _is_ a quaint little town, isn't it?” Aziraphale chimed, getting his small bag out of the back seat.  
The redhead nodded, “Yeah, it’s alright. I kinda like getting away from big cities every now and then.” He locked the car and began meandering to the bakery, “Come on.”  
Aziraphale followed him closely, excited to try the sweets here again.

When they opened the door to the pastel-toned bakery, a small bell above them jingled, and the woman behind the front counter smiled at them; there was a Swirlix beside her and Aziraphale audibly gasped.  
“Welcome! You can sit anywhere you'd like, I’ll bring some menus in a minute.” The woman gestured to the many tables and booths, all decorated in whites and soft pinks.  
Crowley immediately strode towards an unoccupied booth near the back, while the blond went right up to the front counter.

“What an _adorable_ Swirlix!” He gushed, smiling brightly at the pink fairy-type, “Reminds me of my own Slurpuff before he evolved!”  
The woman lit up, “Oh, thank you! I’m trying to raise her well, but sometimes she gets fussy with her food.” The Pokémon beside her yipped indignantly and the two trainers laughed.   
Aziraphale looked closely at the Pokémon before nodding, “Do you see how her fluff is a little less sticky near her ears?”  
“Yeah?” The woman looked at her Swirlix’s head.  
“That could be a sign of sugar insufficiency,” the blond man explained, scratching the Pokémon’s ears affectionately, “Swirlix and Slurpuff require diets of consistent sugar; it's what's good for them! If you've been giving her regular water, try giving her sugar water instead.”  
The woman smiled brightly, “Oh! Wonderful! It _has_ been a hassle trying to get her to drink after training. Thank you, sir!”

Aziraphale waved to the fairy-type before turning and walking towards the booth Crowley chose.  
“You never pass up an opportunity to be nice,” Crowley shook his head with a smile.  
The blond sat down and wiggled his shoulders absently, “I simply saw a trainer struggling with raising her Pokémon. I just wanted to help.”  
Crowley looked up as the woman from before approached heir table with two menus. He could see the Swirlix on the counter eagerly lapping water from a red plastic bowl.  
“Here you go, gentlemen,” she set the laminated sheets down carefully, “I’ll come back in a bit when you've decided.”   
Aziraphale took the menus and immediately flipped it to the 'desserts’ side, “I believe the crêpes I had during our first trip here were the apple cinnamon ones, so I should like to try something new…”  
Crowley blinked at him, unseen behind his sunglasses, “How could you possibly remember the _flavour_ of crêpes you had here over a year ago?”  
Aziraphale smiled calmly over his menu, “I _never_ forget sweets as good as these, dear boy. Especially if I enjoy them with such wonderful company.” He added a bit shyly.

Crowley shut up at that and hid behind his own menu. Why was he always like this? Why must the Angel always fluster him!? Crowley looked across the table at Aziraphale, his gaze hidden by the dark sunglasses. The Demon couldn't deny that Aziraphale was cute, all soft cheeks and light golden curls, a smile that could make your heart sing. Did he have feelings for the Angel? He didn’t know, but his heart gave a hell of a jump when his mind flashed the possibility of Aziraphale having feelings for _him_.   
“I think I’ll try the crêpes with lemon and honey!” The angel decided, pointing happily at the menu.  
Crowley blinked and noticed the waitress was back at their table, pad of paper and pen in hand. She was looking at him expectantly.  
“Uh, yeah,” he looked down at his menu and said the first thing he saw, “I’ll have the strawberry and cream cheese crêpes,” he looked back to the waitress, “please.” 

Aziraphale leaned closer to Crowley over the table, “She didn't recognize us!” He smiled conspiratorially.  
Crowley smiled back and nodded, “Lucky us, then. Pray no one _does_ recognize us, what could possibly be our excuse?”  
The blond’s smile fell, “I suppose you're right, we’re together in public. Dear lord, what are we doing? This is far too risky!” He was starting to panic.  
Crowley acted suddenly, and reached his hands across the table to hold Aziraphale’s now shaking ones. The Angel’s blue eyes widened and he looked up at his friend.  
“Aziraphale, we’re fine. No one has noticed us here. People in Nodswin don’t pay much mind to celebrity goings-on.” Crowley smiled reassuringly, “Trust me, today will go wonderfully.”  
The blond took a deep breath and smiled softly, “I do trust you, dear boy. Thank you.”

Crowley let go of Aziraphale’s hands and looked out the nearby window, “I wonder if there are many grass types out in the old forest near here today.” He mused.  
“Where you caught your Snivy?” Aziraphale smiled, “Probably. I wonder if the old sport would like to visit.”   
Crowley thought about it, “That sounds nice.”  
Soon enough, the waitress came back with two plates of delicious-looking crêpes, “Here you are, gentlemen! I hope you enjoy!”  
The Angel and the Demon thanked her and looked at the fluffy desserts, stuffed full of goodness. Aziraphale began to eat with vigour, and Crowley took small bites between conversation.

“Come to think of it, I never asked what your first contest routine was like.” The Demon licked some cream cheese off of his fork.  
Aziraphale looked up and dabbed a bit of lemon curd from his lips with a napkin, “My first contest? The one from before we first met?”  
Crowley nodded, “I know you used your Vulpix, but I don’t know what the performance was like.”   
The blond’s eyes sparkled, “I couldn’t believe how big the stage was; I had always adored watching contests on the telly, but it's quite another thing to actually be on stage!”  
“You never forget your first contest,” Crowley smiled, “did you get stage fright at all?”  
Aziraphale shook his head, “No, I was far too excited to show off my lovely new Vulpix! I started by having her come out of her ball already using the move Flame Wheel.”  
Crowley nodded, impressed, “Ah, a classic way to show off the elegance of fire-types. What did you do next?”   
“I believe I had her use Wil-o-Wisp, but the silly flames distracted her and she began to chase them around the stage!” The Angel giggled and finished the last piece of crêpes, “the crowd loved it, though, they thought she was the cutest little thing…” he smiled fondly.

“So you crushed the appeals round,” Crowley swirled some strawberry sauce around on his plate with his fork, “how did you do in the battle rounds?”  
Aziraphale sighed, “That part was a bit hard, I was thankful the final match was between me and someone using a Snorunt.” He watched Crowley's fork absently, “It had some nice moves, surely, but type advantage always wins out.”  
Crowley slid his plate towards Aziraphale with a grin, “Type advantage, huh? Then if you and I went head to head, I would beat you two to one?”  
Aziraphale pouted and took a slice of Crowley’s crêpe, “Though your poison types _are_ intimidating, don't forget your Ekans is still a baby, and my Togekiss is more than capable of doling out what-for!”   
Crowley laughed, “Believe me, I know. Remember your contest in Fuffex Town?”  
Aziraphale laughed as well, holding a hand up to his mouth, “Oh, my dear, yes! I felt so badly for that poor Haxorus, I gave it's trainer a few super potions!”   
Crowley shook his head with a chuckle, “You sure are incredible on stage,” he gave the Angel an earnest smile, “I loved watching you win your ribbons, and I hope I can watch you win lots more.”

Aziraphale swallowed his big mouthful of strawberry crêpe and blinked at the redhead, “Well, um… thank you, dear boy,” he blushed and tried to hide it behind a napkin, “I quite look forward to watching you next season as well.”  
Crowley pushed up his sunglasses and looked away, damn the Angel was cute… “Anyway, you wanna head out soon?” He asked, looking at the two empty plates.  
Aziraphale nodded, “Yes, thank you again for letting me finish yours, they were scrumptious!” Crowley noticed a small swipe of cream cheese on the corner of his mouth.  
“Here,” Crowley boldly reached across and leaned it with a napkin, “it wouldn't do for the Angel of Edenia to go around looking like a slob.” He teased with a smile.  
Aziraphale’s face was beet red, “Um, thank you!” He looked away and held up a hand, “Pardon me, Miss! I believe we’re ready for the check!”

Crowley internally punched himself. What was he doing!? He was being way too forward! He wasn't even sure if these were real feelings!   
The waitress came up to their table with the check and set it in front of them, “Hope you gentlemen enjoyed!”  
The Demon snapped out of his emotional spiral as Aziraphale spoke, “Erm, sorry but this is far less than the cost of the two crêpes.” The blond pointed out.  
The woman smiled brightly, “I gave you a discount because of the wonderful Pokémon advice,” she pointed back to her Swirlix, who was now napping on a cushion, “and because you two are such a cute couple!” She winked at Crowley.  
Both coordinators slightly jumped at that, but they didn't say anything; Crowley simply reached for his wallet and pulled out enough to cover the bill, along with a very generous tip.  
“Thanks,” Crowley set the money in front of the waitress, “Let’s go, Angel.”  
Aziraphale smiled brightly at the woman, “Thank you, have a lovely day!” He waved and quickly followed the Demon out the door. 

Crowley looked around the parking lot, still on guard. Though he had put Aziraphale’s mind at ease about not being discovered, he really couldn't think of an excuse as to why The Demon and Angel would be hanging out together. Crowley was thankful for this small town. It really was a good place for them to forget the stress of the upcoming contest. The redhead held open the passenger door of the Bentley, “Where to next, Angel?”  
Aziraphale got into the car and hummed, “I think it would be nice to visit that forest nearby. Maybe we could let our Pokémon out for some exercise?” He beamed up at The Demon.  
The redhead smiled, “Sounds good to me.” He closed the passenger door and made his way around to his side, hips swaying confidently. Date or whatever this day was, it was going pretty perfectly.

-~-

Crowley parked the Bentley in the flat gravel lot by the thick line of trees to the Nodswin Forest. He looked up at the mix of deciduous and perennial trees, “I remember this place so well. I can't believe it was only a year ago I met my Serperior here.”  
Aziraphale smiled brightly, “This will be grand, it's been a while since my Pokémon had the chance to run about in nature.”  
Crowley chuckled and moved to get out, “Your team strikes me as the type to stay curled up inside with a warm fireplace and lots of books to read.”  
Aziraphale huffed and got out, smoothing down his shirt, “And your friends seem happy to slither about at all hours of the night causing mischief.” He cocked a playful eyebrow and the two friends laughed.

Crowley looked up as voices came from further along the tree line.  
“He’s been in there for ages!”  
“Actually, it’s only been ten minutes.”  
“Still, I’m getting worried for him…”

Crowley cast an unsure look at his friend but before he could blink, Aziraphale was already walking towards the voices. The redhead rolled his eyes and followed a ways back, enough to not be noticed in case the people ahead recognize The Angel.

Aziraphale came upon three children, their bikes resting on the ground nearby.   
“What’s the trouble, young Fletchlings?” The man asked, looking to the patch of shoved-aside bushes the children were peering at.  
A boy wearing a grubby green jacket spoke up first, “Our friend Adam rushed into the forest ‘cause he thinks a legendary Pokémon lives there.”  
“But he’s been in there forever,” the girl claimed, crossing her arms, “I want to go in after him but these two say it's dangerous.”  
“Actually,” a boy wearing glasses chimed, “he’s only been in there for twelve minutes. And Pepper, none of us have been to this forest before, so we could get just as lost as Adam.”  
“We can't just stand here!” Pepper, apparently, gestured into the dark forest, “If we all go in, we won't get lost!”  
Aziraphale was unable to wrap his head around that logic, so he took his cue to intervene, “What if I go in and find your friend? I’m fairly familiar with the forest, and-”  
“And I’m even _more_ familiar with the forest, thank you.” Crowley cut in, realizing the children didn't know who Aziraphale was, “What does Adam look like?”

“He’s got curly hair,” The boy in the green jacket explained, “and he has his Houndour with him.”  
Crowley started in surprise, “A fire-type… Angel we have to go!” He grabbed Aziraphale’s hand and sprinted into the woods.  
“Wha- Uh! Don't fret, children! We’ll find Adam quick as a Bunneary!” The blond called reassuringly to the group of friends, “Crowley what the hell are you doing!?”  
Crowley snarled and expertly weaved around trees and brambles, “The grass types in the forest are frightened of fire-types, if they get too scared they could lash out and hurt the kid!”   
Aziraphale remembered how Crowley’s Snivy cowered behind the redhead's leg after seeing his Vulpix. If that was just one Snivy… that child could be in serious danger.  
“And if the Houndour gets too provoked,” Aziraphale realized with dawning horror, “It could alight the entire forest!”

Aziraphale pulled out his Togekiss’s ball, “Here, she can fly up high and get an aerial view!” He tossed her out and with a whistle, commanded the fairy-type to ascend above the tree canopy.  
“Good call,” Crowley, still running, pulled out his Serperior’s ball and let the grass-type out, “Serperior! Go find a child with a Houndour, and tell any other grass types to be cool, alright?” The Serperior hissed in acknowledgement and slithered ahead of the pair of friends.  
Crowley hadn’t planned on a rescue mission, whether this was a date-date or not. What mattered more than his complicated feelings was saving this kid.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley and Aziraphale's day out is put on hold for a rescue mission in the woods!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Long time no see, happy holidays! I'm gonna keep at this fanfic, even though I thought it wasn't gaining traction, a lot of amazing people have shown their generous support, so this (rather short) chapter is for you! I hope to update more regularly, so stay tuned and I hope you all enjoy this continuing Pokémon adventure!

“See anything, girl?” Aziraphale called up to the flying Togekiss, who cooed sadly.  
Crowley growled, “Guess that’s a no. Can you go further ahead?” He asked the flying-type. Togekiss chirped and sped up, flying towards the center of the forest.  
The Demon quickly hopped over a fallen tree, “Come on, Angel! That kid’s Pokémon could start a forest fire any second! Damn, but this forest is huge...”  
Aziraphale hesitated when he got to the fallen trunk, opting to walk around it, “I just hope the boy is alright. Honestly, chasing after a mythical Pokémon…”  
Crowley looked over his shoulder with a grin, “Oh come on, like you never went looking for Pokémon only ever mentioned in legends as a child!”  
Aziraphale had to smile a bit at that, “Well, of course, but I never put myself in such a dangerous situation as this!” 

Serperior came out of the bushes and hissed assentingly at Crowley at the same time Togekiss began to circle around in the air.  
“You found him?” Crowley asked, and grinned when Serperior nodded. The two coordinators followed their Pokémon to a small clearing in the middle of the forest. Aziraphale gasped when he saw a short, curly-haired boy laying on the ground, his knee bloody and a scared look on his face. A Houndour was standing guard in front of him, growling, but it looked roughed up as well. Surrounding the child and his Pokémon was a swarm of angrily buzzing Beedrill. One of the bugs let out a rapid-fire of poisonous needles from its pointed front arms and the Houndour whimpered as it was hit.  
“Oh heavens!” Aziraphale cried and his Togekiss landed in front of him.  
The boy looked over to the two men, “Please, help!” He called.

Crowley looked at Aziraphale and looked at him seriously over his sunglasses, “I’ll set ‘em up, you knock ‘em down, Aziraphale.”  
The blond nodded and smiled, determined.  
“Serperior! Use your wrap attack!” Crowley called and his grass type hissed and quickly coiled around all the Beedrill, the bug types struggling against the Serperior’s thick body, squeezing them tight.  
“Serperior, when I say now, let go of the beedrill, alright?” Aziraphale cried before pointing to the ball of bugs, “Togekiss, Air Slash!” Togekiss charged up a mighty blade of solid air and fired it at the Beedrill, still wrapped up.  
“Now, Serperior!” Both coordinators called out and the grass type let go just before the Air Slash attack hit. The Beedrill were knocked back, and the swarm buzzed off deeper into the forest. 

Aziraphale stepped towards the boy and extended a hand, “Up you go,” he helped him to his feet, “You’re Adam, right? Your friends are quite worried about you.”  
Crowley produced a small potion bottle from his pocket and sprayed it on the Houndour’s wounds, “You oughta know better than to run off somewhere dangerous.” He scolded.  
Adam looked down at his scraped knee, “I know we shouldn't have rushed in, but Houndour thought he saw the Pokémon we were looking for and followed it in.”  
The Angel took out a pack of tissues and handed one to Adam, “Crowley, don't admonish the boy too much. What Pokémon might that be, Adam?”   
The boy smiled after dabbing the blood away with the tissue, “The mythical Pokémon Shaymin! It’s supposed to live in forests.” 

Crowley watched the now-healed Houndour bound off to sniff at Serperior and Togekiss, “Shaymin, huh? Not really worth chasing after, in my opinion…” he scoffed and stuck his hands in his jean pockets.  
Aziraphale cast a scolding look at Crowley before smiling at Adam again, “Shaymin is known to be a symbol of gratitude and love, isn't it?”  
Adam nodded, “Yes, I read a book that said if it's hugged, flowers grow all over its back.”  
“How darling!” Aziraphale cooed.

“I have a question,” Adam looked between Crowley and Aziraphale, “Aren't you two supposed to be competing against each other in that contest soon?”  
Crowley choked and looked at Aziraphale, who had a similarly shocked expression. The coordinators were silent.  
“My friends don't watch contests, but my mom and dad like them. They were excited to see you both fight.” The boy stayed simply enough.  
“We… we aren’t,” Crowley stumbled over his words, “I mean…”  
“Don't worry,” Adam gave the men an easy-going smile, “I won't tell anyone you two are friends. It's like my friend gang and Greasy Johnson’s gang. We fight and stuff but I still invite him over for my birthdays.” He shrugged.  
“I…” Aziraphale looked at Crowley, who shrugged as well, “I suppose it's like that.”

Crowley stood up and put his hands on his hips, “You swear you won’t tell anyone? Everyone thinks Aziraphale and I don’t know each other and we have to keep it that way.”   
Adam nodded, “Yep. Not a word.” He picked up his fire type that was yipping around his ankles, “Thank you for helping me and Houndour. I didn't want to use any fire moves ‘cause we’re in a forest. Plus I didn't want to hurt the Shaymin!”   
The Angel smiled, “Smart lad.” He brushed himself off and returned Togekiss to her pokéball, “We’d best get you back to your friends, Adam.”  
Crowley nodded and returned his Serperior, “Yeah, they seem like a good group.”   
Adam followed the two coordinators down the trail they came from, “Yeah! The Them is great, we like to hang out by my house and train our Pokémon together.”  
Aziraphale cast a smile over his shoulder, “Any future coordinators in your group, perchance?” 

Adam nodded, “Brian wants to work as a contest judge and Wensleydale wants to compete.”  
Crowley laughed, “You don't think having a friend on the judge’s panel would be a little suspicious?”  
The boy laughed at that, “Hey, that just might make Wensleydale’s career easier!”  
“And what about the girl Pepper? She seems rather spirited.” Aziraphale carefully walked around the fallen tree from earlier.  
Adam hopped right over, mindful of the Houndour in his arms, “She and I are going to do the gym challenge. Pepper wants to be a gym leader someday!”  
Crowley hopped over the log as well, “Really? What type specialty?”  
Adam shook his head with a laugh, “Fire types, steel types, dragon types… ‘all the coolest ones’, she says.”

Soon the three came to the tree line and emerged, seeing the worried faces of the three children.  
“Adam, you were in there _forever!”_ Pepper crossed her arms.  
The one with glasses was about to correct her again, but thought better of it and turned his attention to Adam, “We were scared you had gotten hurt.”  
“You did get hurt!” The one in the dirty green jacket pointed to Adam’s knee, “I knew you’d get in trouble.”  
Adam looked sadly at the now sleeping Houndour in his arms, “I feel worse that Houndour got hurt. I just wanted to find that mythical Pokémon…”

Aziraphale smiled reassuringly at Adam, “It was a noble venture, but you should be more prepared when visiting an unfamiliar place.”   
“Right,” Crowley shoved his hands in his pockets, “Can you lot find your way back home alright?” He cast a level look at the four children,  
“Yes, Fieltad Town isn't too far away, Thank you Mr. Crowley,” Adam smiled, “I hope you and Mr. Aziraphale have a nice day.” He stood his bike up and placed his Houndour in the basket on the handlebars.  
The children hopped on their bikes and rode off. 

Aziraphale sighed, “I do hope they’ll be alright.”  
“Kids are always reckless,” Crowley shrugged, “But I have to admit, it was fun battling alongside you.” He smiled warmly at his friend.  
The Angel blushed and smiled back, “Would you like to do anything else before we leave? It's not quite dark yet.”  
Crowley looked around, not seeing anybody nearby. They were totally alone. The Demon grinned, “Battle with me again.” There was a tone in his voice Aziraphale picked up on right away.   
He sent out his Togekiss at the same time Crowley let out his Seviper. The Pokémon looked surprised at battling each other, but a glance at their grinning trainers revealed what type of ‘battle’ this would be.

“After you~” Aziraphale bowed with a playful air.  
Crowley snapped his fingers with a wide smile, “Start with a Smokescreen, Seviper!” And the poison type exhaled a huge cloud of thick black smoke that covered the gravel clearing they were in.  
“Not a bad start at all!” Aziraphale called out, “Togekiss, blow it away with some Air Slashes!”   
With a melodic chirp, Togekiss fired three blades of air through the smoke, clearing it away with ease, “Now Swift attack!” Aziraphale pointed at the revealed Seviper.  
Togekiss charged up power and released a flurry of cute star-shaped projectiles from under its wings.  
“That’s lovely, Angel! Quick, Seviper, catch them!” Crowley laughed and posed as, with rapid movements, Seviper skewered three of the stars onto its sharp tail. The Seviper slammed its tail on the ground, making the stars explode into sparkles.  
Aziraphale clasped his hands together gleefully, “How beautiful!” He pointed up into the sky, “Fly up and use Aura Sphere, girl!” The fairy type chirped and flew in a spiral pattern high into the air before launching a huge blue orb of energy down to the ground.   
Crowley took off his sunglasses and marvelled at the Aura Sphere, “That’s a big one! Okay, Seviper, coil up and spring!” Seviper dodges the sphere then wound its body around like a giant spring before launching itself into the air next to the Togekiss, who chirped in surprise, “Now Wrap!” Seviper managed to wind itself around Togekiss’s plump body, leaving the wings free so they didn't fall.

Aziraphale held the back of his hand to his forehead in a mock dramatic gesture and wailed, “Oh woe! Oh terrible fate! My beloved partner is wrapped in the coils of a serpent and is now plummeting to the ground!” He winked at his Togekiss and the fairy type gently descended to the ground, landing elegantly with the Seviper still safely around it, “But let's see how the serpent reacts to this…” Aziraphale grinned wildly, “Tickle it!”  
The Seviper hissed and trilled in glee as Togekiss began tickling it with her feathers.   
Crowley burst out laughing, “No fair! No fair!” He hollered, “Seviper, resist! Be strong!”  
The poison type was wriggling it's entire ticklish body as the Togekiss continued her relentless assault. Now out of the moment, Seviper nuzzled it's head against Togekiss’s, trilling gently. The fairy type sang happily and nuzzled it back, stopping the fake battle.

Aziraphale stepped forward onto the makeshift battlefield and wrapped his arms around both the Togekiss and Seviper, “What wonderful performers you are!” He praised, kissing his fairy type’s feathery head.  
Crowley stepped forward too, rubbing Seviper’s neck affectionately, “They have chemistry, I’ll give them that.”  
Aziraphale smiled up conspiratorially, “Wouldn't it be darling if you placed strawberry seeds around the field and made your Serperior use Growth on them…”  
“...And then your Slurpuff could run around and eat them as they grow?” Crowley finished with a warm look in his gold eyes, “The audience would go crazy for that.”  
Aziraphale’s face fell, “They would… but right now they’re more excited to see our darling Pokémon fight to near-death.”  
Crowley set a hand on Aziraphale’s shoulder, “Hey, tomorrow we’re going to sabotage the power and lighting rigs, yeah? That might stop this once and for all.” He hesitated for just a moment before pulling Aziraphale into his arms for a big hug, “We’re going to fix this. There’s no way I could possibly hurt your Pokémon for real.”

Slowly, Aziraphale’s arms reached up to reciprocate the embrace. He felt tears roll down his cheeks to disappear into the fabric of Crowley’s t-shirt, “I pray all of this goes well. I wish there was a way we could both go to the Grand Festival.”  
Crowley tilted Aziraphale’s face to look at him, gold eyes meeting baby blue, both sets teary and sad, “I do too. But even then, only one of us could win the Ribbon Cup, it would be the same situation we have now except on a grander scale.” The demon grit his teeth, “Everybody is waiting for one of us to win and one of us to lose and I _hate_ it.”   
Aziraphale was speechless, he had never seen Crowley cry before. He rested one of his hands on Crowley’s cheek, wiping the tears away with his thumb, “Oh my dear, it truly is a problem…” his Togekiss chirped and bumped its head onto Crowley’s chest in an affectionate gesture, the Angel laughed through his tears, “But we’ll figure this out. I’m positive we can get through this.”   
Crowley was taken by the warm, golden glow of early evening bathing his friend in a light that made him truly look angelic. He found himself desperately wanting to kiss him.

The Demon gulped down those feelings and put his sunglasses back on, face hot. He smiled and let out a huff, “Thank you. You always know how to make me feel better, Angel.”  
Aziraphale looked away with a bashful smile, “I try my best, dear boy.”   
“After a hug like that, I’m surprised flowers didn't grow on my back!” Crowley joked, but instantly regretted it. _Why did I say something so lame? Ughhhhh._  
Aziraphale lit up laughing, however, and his eyes became half-lidded, “Well, you certainly _are_ as charming as a Shaymin. At least, what I imagine one would be like.”   
Crowley and Aziraphale took in the sight of each other. Golden light shining on them, cheeks rosy and eyes still a little wet from tears. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind and the chirps of a nearby flock of Pidgeys the only sounds to be heard. It was the nicest moment either of them have had in a while.

Soon though, Seviper bumped its head against Crowley’s thigh and Togekiss ruffled her feathers and chirped.  
Crowley pet his partner’s head, “I suppose we should go back to town soon to feed these jokers, huh?” He called Seviper back into his pokéball.  
Aziraphale nodded and returned Togekiss to her own ball, “Yes, I suppose so. I hope tomorrow’s events go smoothly for us.”  
“I’m sure they will, Angel.” Crowley began walking back to the Bentley and opened the passenger side door, “I’m pretty excited to see the Angel of Edenia do something illegal.”  
Aziraphale got in with a pout, “As long as we’re not caught, though,” he smiled a bit and buckled up, “I must admit it’s rather exciting.”  
Crowley shut the door for him and sauntered around to the driver’s side, fear and sadness turning to excitement for him as well.

-~-

It was a quiet drive back to Soho, as the golden glow of evening became darker, but not dark enough.  
The Demon had pulled into a back alley a block away from the bookshop.  
“I don't think any press is out and about this hour, but this will be safe anyway.” Crowley took off his sunglasses, fiddling with the arms, “I’m glad we could go out together today.” He admitted with an earnest smile.  
Aziraphale blushed a bit and nodded, “I had a wonderful time, dear boy.” He looked over at his friend and returned his warm smile. Crowley looked so happy… The Angel felt like the natural thing to do would be kiss Crowley, ending this possible date with an affirmation that it truly was one. 

Of course, though, Aziraphale did not do that. He simply gave a prim wave and exited the Bentley, dress shoes clicking along the stone walkway to the bookshop. Upon unlocking and getting inside, the blond exhaled grandly. He stumbled over to a sofa and collapsed dramatically, taking a nearby book and softly hitting his own forehead with it.  
“Oh, damn it all…” he whined to no one but himself, “why must he tempt me with nothing more than a glance!?”  
Aziraphale’s phone vibrated and he raised it to his tired eyes to see it was Gabriel. He scowled and turned it off. He was going to end this day on a positive note, so help him Arceus.

Aziraphale stood up and marched himself to the kitchen. _Today was good!_ he reaffirmed to himself as he began mixing food for his Pokémon, _Today was great, in fact! I got to meet a cute Swirlix, I helped those delightful children…_ he paused and felt his face heat up, _I got to spend some proper one on one time with Crowley._ The angel set the three bowls on the ground, a content smile on his face. That one reason was enough for it to be a perfect day.

A day. Just a day. Not a date, surely.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With just one more day until the Soho contest, how will Aziraphale and Crowley deal with people from their talent agencies breathing down their necks? Their plan to delay the contest had better work...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dears! Happy early new year! I'm extremely happy with how this chapter came out, so I hope you all enjoy this adventure and are looking forward to future chapters!

Aziraphale yawned as morning light filled his small bedroom. Compared to his lavish bookshop, his bedroom in his flat was rather simple; understandable, really, since he spent so much time on contest tours. His room still had flashes of personality, of course, such as a framed photograph of him as a child holding his Togepi’s egg, and one from after his first contest win, proudly holding his ribbon in one hand with his Vulpix in his other arm. Tartan-pattern curtains that were rarely drawn framed the large swing-open style window that let lovely sunlight in. There was also a poster that looked very out of place in the quaint room: one of a posing redheaded coordinator with his Seviper baring his poisonous fangs, with a garishly coloured graffiti-like design as the background. Aziraphale would have felt silly owning merchandise of his best friend, if he didn't know for a fact Crowley had a pastel blue headband that read “Go Angel Go!” on it.

The Angel sighed and turned away from his window, debating whether or not to get up at all today. A tapping sound came from the window. _Oh, maybe that lovely family of Pidoves is back?_ Aziraphale thought happily, turning back over to see the cute flying-types.  
Unfortunately, the blond shrieked and fell out of bed when instead of the expected soft grey feathers, there was vivid red and black and _glaring_ eyes.  
Aziraphale rubbed his head and looked at the Pokémon staring him down while tapping the window with its beak, “A Talonflame? But…” his blood ran cold, “Oh… fuck.”

-~-

Crowley glared at his phone, face half-smushed into his pillow, “Do you idiots have any idea what time it is?” He growled.  
Hastur remained expressionless, “Of course. It's time for you to show us how you'll defeat that annoying Angel.”  
“Beelz wants a video of your routine,” Ligur stared the Demon down as his Kecleon crawled onto his shoulder, “And they want to be _impressed.”_  
Crowley sighed angrily, “Why don’t they have more faith in me? I’ve easily collected my four ribbons without them or _you_ breathing down my neck.”  
Hastur glowered at Crowley through the screen, “Yes but in each of those contests, you weren’t up against the second greatest coordinator in Edenia.” He shuddered, “Ugh, I hate calling him that.”

Crowley got up and wiped the sleep from his eyes, “Fine, then. Where do you want to meet?”  
Ligur smiled cryptically, “Oh, we’ve picked a perfect spot.”  
Hastur gave his own dark grin, “We’re outside your hotel, Demon. Get dressed and we’ll take you there.”  
Ligur’s Kecleon shot its tongue out to the phone and ended the FaceTime call, making Crowley grimace in disgust. He ran a hand through his red hair and groaned. Just one more day. One more day until he and Aziraphale could delay this inevitable horrorshow. The Demon got up and stretched. _No matter now,_ he thought, putting on his sunglasses, _Time to show those Hellington mongrels what I’ve got._

-~-

Aziraphale didn’t look up from pouring tea into the two delicate cups on the coffee table.  
“You must have gone to sleep pretty early for you to have missed my call!” The booming voice of Gabriel laughed, “Attaboy, ‘early to bed, early to rise’, _that’s_ the Heavens Above way!”   
Aziraphale nodded and added one cube of sugar to his tea, fingers itching to add another five, “Yes indeed, your busy little star, that’s me,” he gave a forced grin and looked over at the huge Talonflame perched on top of a bookshelf, “Um, must your Pokémon sit atop such a… flammable structure?”  
Gabriel looked fondly at the unblinking, unmoving fire-type, “Ah, you know ol’ Talent. He likes to live dangerously just like you and me!” the brown-haired talent agent took a big drink of his sweetened, creamy tea with a wide smile.

Aziraphale sat back in his sofa and sipped his own tea, face scrunching up at the bitterness, “So, you’ve come to Soho early,” Aziraphale pointed out the obvious and looked at his agent over the rim of his teacup, “Deciding to do some sight-seeing before the big day?”  
Gabriel chuckled and shook his head, “Sightseeing in Soho? What's there to see? No, no,” he sat forward and leered at Aziraphale, “The only thing I want to see is you crushing that Demon bastard.”  
Aziraphale raised his teacup and spoke through his teeth, “Cheers to that!”   
Gabriel set his teacup aside, “So who are you thinking of leading with?” Before Aziraphale could speak, his agent continued, “I think you should do Togekiss in the appeals round and Ninetales for the battle portion. No offence, but your Slurpuff is kinda lacking in both appeal and power. Plus the Demon has two poison types and a grass type, Ninetales is the only smart choice for the battle round.” 

Aziraphale bit back a loud “How _dare_ you insult my Slurpuff!?” And instead finished the rest of his bitter tea, staring his agent down as he continued rambling about what the Angel should do.  
“You should incorporate Wil o’ Wisps into your battle routine,” Gabriel decided with a bright smile, “It’ll be cute, the audience will be able to see how far you’ve come since your first contest. Plus, burning that Demon’s awful Pokémon will be sure to sting!”  
Aziraphale gulped at the thought of hurting Crowley’s darling Pokémon; the ones he, himself, had formed quite the bond with, “Erm, quite…” the blonde looked back towards the Talonflame, which had never looked away from Aziraphale with those piercing eyes.

“So, where are you staying in town?” Aziraphale attempted to change the subject.  
Gabriel looked around the bookshop, “Well I was _going to_ stay here last night, but you didn't answer your phone, so I ended up getting a hotel room.”  
Aziraphale smiled brightly, “Ah, sounds lovely! I’m happy to hear you’re set up somewhere cozy!”  
Gabriel tilted his head and gave a darker look, “‘Zira, I only got the room for one night. I’m staying here.” He poked the armrest off the sofa he was on.  
The blond felt a shock go through his body and he stammered, “Uh, but- you… I don't have any room.”  
Gabriel gave him a flat look, “Seriously? This place is like a palace.”  
“I-I mean!” Azirphale looked around, hands fidgeting with the teacup in his lap, “I always perform better if I can have a nice morning to myself! You wouldn't want to disturb my pre-contest rituals.” He gave a half-hearted laugh.

Gabriel shrugged, “Ah, come on, ‘Zira. You’ll barely know I’m here! Plus this way, I can keep a close eye on you and these so-called,” he made quotation marks with his fingers, “‘pre-contest rituals’ so I can give more info to the contest journalists! You know, everyone wants to be as great a coordinator as you, Angel!” He gave a wide, perfect-toothed grin.  
Something about Gabriel calling him ‘Angel’ made a gross shudder pass through Aziraphale (something felt… wrong about someone other than Crowley referring to him as simply ‘Angel’), and he pursed his lips to fight a disgusted look, “So… you've been telling the press about my techniques, have you?” Aziraphale lifted his empty teacup to his face, pretending to drink in order to hide his face; hm, was this why Crowley wore sunglasses all the time?  
The agent laughed, “Uh, yeah? Those coordinator magazines pay lots of good money for champion tips and tricks. When you get into the Grand Festival, I'll schedule you for so many interviews, you're head will spin!” Gabriel finished his tea and set the cup on the coffee table with a little more force than necessary and Aziraphale flinched. Thank heavens it didn't shatter.

As the Angel attempted to make sense of all of Gabriel’s continuing rambling, something caught his eye from outside the bookshop. Three figures getting out of a dusty old van, one tall, one short, and one with perfect red hair. Aziraphale’s eyes widened and locked with those of Crowley, hidden behind sunglasses though they were. What the Hell were they doing!?

-~-

Hastur took out a pokéball from his coat pocket and smiled at Crowley, “Come on, Demon. Right here.”  
Crowley looked up at the bookshop sign, “What… what is this place?”  
Ligur leant against his van, “The Angel lives in this bookshop. I bet he’ll be able to see you through the windows.” He took out his cell phone, and pressed a button, “Send your Pokémon out, Crowley, I’m rolling.”  
Resisting the urge to look back at Aziraphale through the glass doors, the Demon sent out his Serperior, who trilled in glee as he saw the bookshop.  
“Aw look at that!” Hastur cooed, “He’s raring to go for tomorrow! You're ready to thrash that Angel, eh buddy?”

The grass-type looked confused, but looked back at its trainer when he snapped his fingers.  
“Serperior, let’s start with a Leaf Storm attack and Leech Seed, then into Vine Whip!” Crowley commanded, pointing to Ligur, who jumped. At once, Serperior hissed and let loose a hurricane of sharpened leaves and small seeds. It produced two long vines from under its collar and with extreme speed and dexterity, knocked each leaf and seed out of the air to fall harmlessly to the stone-lined ground, mere inches away from Ligur’s face. 

“What in the Heavens is wrong with you!?” Ligur shouted, holding his chest in fear.  
Hastur, however, applauded, “Great stuff! Beelz will love that one. Be sure to do it into the judge’s table, Crowley, they’ll be freaked out!” He laughed, rasping on each exhale.  
Crowley crossed his arms and glared at Hastur, “I’m not doing it towards the judges. Remember what happened to you in Donlon? It took two weeks for the toxic sludge to be cleaned out from behind the judge’s desk.”   
“Ligur, did you at least capture that move on camera?” Hastur ignored Crowley and turned back to the shorter man.  
Ligur scowled at him and nodded, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll send it to Beelz right away.”

Crowley returned Serperior to its ball and shoved his hands in his pockets, “So you saw my appeals routine and got a video for the boss. Are we done here?”   
“Why don't we pay the Angel another visit, Hastur?” Ligur suggested with a dark smile, “Maybe let the Demon here rough him up a bit?”   
Hastur looked expectantly at Crowley.  
The redhead scoffed, “You idiots have no class at all,” he grinned, “that stupid Angel and I will have our first _and last_ meeting on the final stage!” Hastur and Ligur looked fairly impressed at his showmanship. _Nailed it._ Crowley thought.

A voice came from across the street, “Is… is that the Demon of Edenia?”   
Crowley whirled around to see a small crowd of people looking at him excitedly, a few of them with notepads and cameras.   
“Ssshit…” the redhead hissed under his breath.  
Hastur and Ligur quickly ushered him into the van and sped away, not wanting to be swamped with press either. 

-~-

As soon as Aziraphale saw the reporters outside his shop, he bolted out of his seat and lunged for the cord for the window blinds.  
Gabriel turned around and looked at him like he was crazy, “What the hell happened? It's so noisy out there!”   
Aziraphale breathed a sigh of relief, “Uh, a street fight broke out. Most unsavoury,” he shook his head, “I think the authorities are chasing the hooligans away.”  
Gabriel sighed, “You shouldn't get so distracted by things like that, ‘Zira. We were having a conversation.” He scolded.  
_Can it really be called a conversation if I’m not saying anything?_ the blond thought miserably as he walked back to his sofa.

As he sat down and Gabriel started lecturing him about the best move combinations, the blond’s mobile buzzed. Discreetly looking down, Aziraphale saw it was a text from Crowley simply reading >>sorry about that<<.  
Aziraphale responded quickly, >>What on earth were those droogs of yours doing!? My AGENT is here!<<  
>>oh shit<< came the reply, followed by another, >>what about tonight?<<

“Are you even listening to me?” Gabriel boomed and Aziraphale nearly dropped his phone in surprise.  
“Ah! Of course I was!” The blond lied horribly.  
Gabriel stared flatly at him, “Mind telling me what's so much more important than me, your agent?”  
Aziraphale thought fast, “I was simply… scheduling my own interview!”  
The brunette man looks impressed but confused, “Really? With whom? I’ve already got you booked with Edenia’s best news sites.”  
“Oh, it's a little local newspaper. Soho only, you know! You've probably never heard of it.” The Angel laughed lightly while quickly tapping out a reply, >>I still want to help you.<<

Gabriel smiled and nodded, “Ah, good, the press loves a hometown-hero type! I just hope it doesn't interfere with any of the ones I scheduled.” Gabriel rested his head on his hand and looked into Aziraphale’s eyes, searching in the baby blue with his violet, “When will it be? I want to supervise _all_ your interviews.”  
Aziraphale cleared his throat and looked away, “Oh, it will be some time after the contest, so I wouldn't worry about it too much!” He smiled and rose to his feet, “Say, I should go and make us some lunch! I don't suppose you've had a proper meal in a while!” 

The Talonflame squawked and ruffled its feathers, making the blond startle.   
Gabriel reclined back in the sofa and smiled, “Sounds great, ‘Zira! Make some Pokémon food for Talentflame, too, would ya? I might just take a little rest down here.” Gabriel loosened his tie and closed his eyes, kicking his feet up onto the antique coffee table. The fire type on the bookshelf seemed to smirk at the Angel.  
Aziraphale’s hands shook and his jaw was clenched, but he managed to bite out, “Of course...Right away…!” He turned around and stomped up the stairs, pausing in the middle when he heard Gabriel shout.  
“Dear lord, Angel, I hope you're more graceful on stage! You're upsetting Talent!”

Aziraphale grit his teeth and dashed up the stairs to his kitchen, whispering violently under his breath.   
“Ordering me around in my own home! How _dare_ that pompous cad insult my Pokémon! Gabriel and his terribly-nicknamed Talonflame…” he threw open his refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of white wine. Aziraphale took a few gulps, still screaming in his head.  
_Damn that agent of mine! I would be better off on my own! No interviews! No press! No sneaking around!_ his phone buzzed in his pocket and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, far removed from his usual clean and composed self.   
>>We can do this. Trust me.<<

Aziraphale felt the fire in his mind calm down, as if a gentle rain had come to quench the flames of hatred. He smiled widely at the phone as another message from Crowley appeared.  
>>You’ve told me what a prick your agent can be, hang in there Angel<<  
He would hang in there. For the security of his and Crowley’s friendship. Aziraphale resisted the temptation to send a few heart emoticons in response, and instead sent a curt, >>thank you, pip pip!<<, before getting started on the food.

-~-

“I’m sure you love all the attention, Crowley,” Hastur groaned and looked out the back window of the van, seeing the confused crowd of news reporters dissipate, “Personally I hate it.”  
“Glad I’m not the one in the spotlight.” Ligur mumbled, turning onto a quiet side street.   
The Demon looked up from his phone and rolled his eyes, “Can you drive me back to my hotel? I want to prepare my outfit for tomorrow.”  
“Ugh,” Ligur scoffed and glared at Crowley in the rear view mirror, “You're not going to do that thing where you wear that baby Ekans of yours as a scarf are you? That's so tacky.”  
Crowley grinned and pointed at Ligur tauntingly, “You know what? I wasn't going to do that, but now I’m going to. I'm going to wear my _beautiful_ baby girl to _spite_ you.” He got a quick text reading >>thank you, pip pip!<< which made him smile more.

Ligur drove back to Crowley’s hotel, rolling down his window as the redhead got out of the van, “Tomorrow’s the big day, Demon. Your victory against the Angel will be broadcast live all over Edenia.” The odd-eyed man smiled darkly.  
Hastur chimed in from the backseat, “In other regions too, likely, because of internet streamers.”  
“It’ll be an event worth celebrating, surely.” Crowley grinned sharply, “Soon the Demon of Edenia will take his rightful place at the Grand Festival, then in the Top Coordinator Hall of Fame.”   
Hastur nodded in approval, “Keep up the confidence, then. We’ll meet you at the arena before the contest tomorrow morning.”  
“We’re going to train our own Pokémon up. Gotta be ready for next season, you know.” Ligur smiled.

Crowley waved them goodbye as the two other coordinators drove away. He scoffed under his breath, “‘Be ready for next season’, please, the only way they've won the few ribbons they have is by intimidating other coordinators into forfeiting…” Crowley went up to his room, intending to rest up for tonight. Gabriel or no Gabriel, he and the Angel were _doing this_.

-~-

Gabriel smiled and wiped his mouth with a napkin, “You know, you're a pretty amazing chef, ‘Zira,” he remarked, looking over at his fire-type finishing the scraps of food in its bowl, “Talent thinks so too!”  
Aziraphale set aside his cutlery and smiled back, “Well, thank you, Gabriel, that's so kind of you to say. I _do_ enjoy picking up recipes from the places I travel to.”   
“Sure, sure, hey why don't we go chat up some more reporters today?” Gabriel tapped the table excitedly.  
Aziraphale hesitated, “Ohh, that sounds splendid, but, um, I’ve been talking with the press _all week_, we should really leave some things a surprise for them, no?” 

The brunette man nodded thoughtfully, “Hm, you have a point…” a chime-like ringtone came from his pocket and he pulled out his smartphone, face brightening, “Oh, excellent, come on, ‘Zira!” He got up from the table and pulled on his suit jacket.  
“What? Where are we going?” Aziraphale asked, standing as well.  
“Michael just texted me, we’re going to meet her for coffee.” Gabriel grinned and made a bee-line for the stairs, his Talonflame hopping along after him.  
“Michael? Oh, I had forgotten she was in town as well…” The blond fretted and attempted to fix his bow tie. He looked at the dirty plates on the table and sighed, “I suppose I’ll be cleaning these later…” he smoothed down his vest and went to follow his agent.

“It’s nice that Michael always comes to visit you for your contests, huh?” Gabriel laughed, returning his Talonflame to its ball.  
Aziraphale walked briskly to the front door and held it open for his agent, “It would be nicer if she didn't insist on battling me before each one. It really tires my team out.” He pouted.  
Gabriel laughed and pretended to throw a few punches at Aziraphale, “Ha! Well you better be prepared, Michael told me she's itching to fight ya!”  
Aziraphale locked the shop and sighed as Gabriel walked ahead. He truly couldn't tell who had worse coworkers between himself and Crowley...

At the coffee shop, Aziraphale and Gabriel found Michael sitting in a quiet booth near the back, hair perfect and grey suit immaculate. She smiled peacefully at the Angel.  
“Lovely seeing you again, Aziraphale.” Michael picked up her teacup and took a small sip.  
Aziraphale sat across from her, Gabriel sliding in next to him, and the blond man gave a smile back, “You too, Michael. I hope you’ve been well.”  
The woman sighed and looked out of the window next to her, “I’ve been fine, but I haven’t had a challenging battle in quite some time. I _do_ hope that will change next month.”  
Aziraphale looked at Gabriel as he gave an excited grin, and the Angel felt the need to ask, “What’s next month?” 

Michael tented her fingers and smiled, eerie calmness making Aziraphale feel uneasy. The woman carefully untucked her scarf from her jacket, and clipped onto the sheer material were _five_ multicoloured ribbons, the lacey parts without creases and the golden middles polished to perfection.  
“I’ll be participating in the Grand Festival as well, Angel. I earned my fifth ribbon a month ago.” Michael spoke in a quiet, sonorous voice.  
Gabriel clapped Aziraphale on the back, “Surprise! I couldn't wait to tell you, ‘Zira!” The agent’s chest swelled with pride, “The two greatest coordinators at Heavens Above Talent competing together in the greatest event of the year!” His loud voice was drawing the attention of a few nearby tables and Aziraphale did his best to shrink into the corner.  
“Oh, won’t it be lovely, Aziraphale dear?” Michael purred, “I still haven't forgiven you for taking my top spot at Heavens Above, so we can finally see who’s the real Angel of Edenia on the Grand Festival final stage.”  
Gabriel fist-bumped Michael and laughed, “Oh the media is going to eat this up, I’ve already called my merch guy to draw up epic 'Michael versus Aziraphale’ t-shirts, travel mugs, glow sticks…”

As Gabriel rambled on, Michael’s gaze was fixed firmly on the blond. She spoke softly, low enough to not be heard by her agent, but loud enough that Aziraphale could definitely hear.  
“I fought the Demon, you know.”  
Aziraphale’s eyes widened, “You did? When?”  
“A few days ago. He was practicing by the arena, challenging people to battle all day.” She pouted slightly, “I surely hope I caught him at a weak point, because that’s the only explanation as to why he battled so poorly.”  
The Angel felt anger bubble up inside of him but suppressed it, choosing to glare at Michael, “I shall defeat him, when he and I are both in our top form.” He declared.  
Michael smiled, “Good. Now, how's about you and I step outside so I can see if you’re up to the task?” She tilted her head playfully and Aziraphale felt a chill go down his spine.

-~-

The sun had gone down long ago, but it was just now that Aziraphale was locking the door to the bookshop and carefully creeping around the couch where Gabriel was sprawled out. The Angel was thankful that he didn't have to give up his bed, but this would make it impossible to sneak out later. Aziraphale sighed and tiptoed miserably up the stairs to his flat. He managed to beat Michael’s Espeon, but just barely. His Ninetales was thankfully recovering peacefully in her ball.  
The Angel took his mobile out of his pocket, and ruefully tapped out a message, >>Apologies, dear boy, but my agent is sleeping right near the door, so I cannot go out tonight.<<  
Aziraphale flopped on his bed, loosening his bow tie tiredly. Maybe Crowley would be able to do everything himself.

_Vrrrr Vrrrr_  
Aziraphale lifted his buzzing phone to his face and his eyes widened as he read the message.  
>>We’re doing this, Angel. Look out your window<<  
The blond got to his feet and went to his large window overlooking the now quiet and dark street in front of the shop. Standing in the glow of the Bentley’s headlights was Crowley and Serperior, trainer and Pokémon smiling up at the Angel. Aziraphale beamed back down and opened the windows, “Rather Shakespearean, no?” He laughed.  
Crowley gave him a cheeky smile and extended a hand in a dramatic gesture “What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Aziraphale is the sun.” 

The Angel felt his face grow red-hot and he coughed, “Erm, h-how am I to get down? Gabriel is right by the door.”  
Crowley snapped his fingers with a grin and Serperior let loose two thick vines that easily wound around his waist and gently lifted him through the window. Aziraphale held tightly on to the vines as he descended to the ground. Crowley held out a hand and Aziraphale easily took it, feet finally landing on the ground.  
“Thank you, Crowley,” the Angel smiled warmly, and laughed as an impatient hiss came from beside them, “And thank _you_, Serperior!” He pet the grass-type’s snout lovingly as it retracted it's vines into its collar.

Crowley laughed and pointed a thumb at the Bentley, “You ready to commit some crimes?” He teased.  
“I’m ready to commit some,” Aziraphale thought of the words carefully, “_illicit tampering_ in order to maintain my amicable connection to the greatest coordinator in Edenia.” He smiled smugly and walked towards the Bentley.  
“‘Illicit Tampering’, eh?” Crowley laughed and returned Serperior to his ball, “whatever you want to call it, I’m excited.” He caught up with Aziraphale and opened the passenger door for his friend, “After you, Angel.”  
_Oh, yes,_ Aziraphale thought happily as he got into the car, _it sounds ever so much better when it's Crowley saying it._


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's go time! Crowley's plan to delay the contest in on, Will he and Aziraphale be successful?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was very exciting to write, even though it's a tad short. I hope you all enjoy, and thank you for the wonderful, kind comments <3

“Thank you for bringing this big black coat,” Aziraphale said, pulling on the jacket, “I didn't quite have time to change into more sneaky clothes.”  
Crowley cracked a smile and looked over at his friend, pulling onto a side street, “To be honest, I didn't think you actually owned any black clothes.”  
The Angel had to laugh at that, “I do like to keep a sunnier disposition, and that translates well to my wardrobe.” He watched the street lamps go by, “Though, to my credit, my magic outfit is black.”  
“With a red sequin bow tie.” the redhead joked and looked around the empty street. Across the street was the Arena parking lot, with no lights to be seen, “It's go time.”

Aziraphale gulped and nodded, looking to the Arena, “It’s awfully open, what if someone notices us walking over there?”  
Crowley was about to get out of the Bentley, but stopped when he noticed his friend’s hesitation, “Hey, it’s okay if you don't want to do this. Seviper and I can find our own way in without Togekiss mucking up the electronics.” He took his sunglasses off and cast an honest, level look at the blond, “I don't want you getting in trouble.”  
Aziraphale was touched by the earnesty, but took a deep breath and looked at Crowley seriously, “Thank you, dear, but it will go much easier if Togekiss can take out the security system first. I would hate for anything to happen to you, either.” He boldly reached out and took Crowley’s hand, making the redhead blush, “Let’s go... commit some crime!” Aziraphale gave a bright smile and the Demon burst out laughing.

“That’s the spirit, Angel!” Crowley put his sunglasses on the dashboard and shut off the Bentley.  
Aziraphale followed his friend across the street then across the grass to the parking lot with no streetlights around. Every so often Crowley would look around, making sure nobody else was around.   
After passing the parking lot, Crowley paused and surveyed the surrounding streets. No cars coming, no cars going, and every building was dark. “Now run!” The Demon whispered and bolted to the side of the arena, the Angel jogging to keep up.  
“A little warning might be nice…” Aziraphale panted as he leaned against the wall.  
Crowley laughed quietly, “I’ll keep that in mind next time we break in somewhere.” He joked and crept along the wall to peek at the back of the building. There was a blinking security camera above a distinct rectangular protrusion on the back wall, “I see the electric box. Let Togekiss out?”

Aziraphale nodded and let out his fairy-type, which he shushed as soon as it was released. The fairly type looked at her trainer curiously as he pointed around the corner to the box.  
“Can you use Thunder Wave very quietly, girl?” Aziraphale whispered, and the Togekiss nodded with a determined smile, stepping forward and generating static electricity in her wings. With the faintest _zap_ and a small flash of light, Togekiss fired a thin wave of crackling electricity that surrounded the box.   
Crowley watched as the power box let out a small puff of smoke and the security camera above it ceased blinking. The Demon grinned and gave Aziraphale a thumbs up, “Great work, Togekiss!” He whispered  
Aziraphale grinned and returned his partner Pokémon to her ball, “Now how do we get inside?”

Crowley turned the corner and beckoned the Angel to follow him with a crook of his finger, “There’s a fire exit back here. I saw it when I was battling the other day. He explained, coming to stand in front of a red door next to the power box, which had stopped smoking. He tried the handle and smiled brightly as it opened.  
“The lock must be connected to the power source,” Aziraphale guessed and followed Crowley inside, “This is so exciting, my heart is beating so fast!” He giggled.  
Crowley smiled as he crept along the hallway, “Do you know where the stage is?”   
“I watched a contest here when I was young. From the fire exit, I believe you take a left up ahead.” Aziraphale whispered and tip-toed ahead of Crowley, peeking around the corner.

Aziraphale gasped and wheeled back around.  
“What is it?” Crowley asked, nervous.  
“There's a guard!” Aziraphale whispered, “he's patrolling around the backstage doors.”  
Crowley smirked, “Well if there's someone guarding the doors, that must mean they’re unlocked.” Crowley poked his head around the corner, seeing a tall figure with a flashlight walking away from the first door, likely to patrol the backstage door on the other side. He told the Angel to wait before he silently dashed to the other side of the corridor and tried the door handle. Crowley grinned and waved Aziraphale over. After a quick cursory glance down the hall, the blond made his way over to the door, trying his best to remain quiet.   
The Angel and the Demon carefully closed the door behind them, squinting in the pitch-black room. Crowley pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight.

The backstage area had large mirrors attached to the side walls (where there were two tunnels leading to the sides of the stage) and a few television monitors along the main wall opposite the stage doors. In the middle of the room were tables and benches where coordinators could relax between rounds. It was similar to many of the other contest arenas the two coordinators have been to.  
Crowley sauntered to the stage doors and whispered to Aziraphale, “Alright, I doubt they have more than one guard working tonight, so when I bring down the stage rig, the fellow from before will come rushing in. That's our cue to run like hell back to the fire exit, yeah?”   
Aziraphale looked nervously at the door, but nodded, “I trust you.” It was such a simple sentence, but it truly meant so much.  
The Demon smiled and turned off his flashlight, opening the stage doors.

Crowley looked at the dark stadium-like room, natural moonlight coming in from the giant skylight above the elevated stage. Directly in front of the backstage main door was the judges table, and above the center of the stage, suspended from wires that were secured to a hook beside the leftmost tunnel, was a giant lighting rig. Crowley grinned, crept over to the hook, and let out Seviper.  
“Cut these with a Poison Tail attack, Seviper!” He commanded quietly and pointed to the tied wires. His Pokémon hissed and it's tail glowed a faint purple colour before it slashed at the wires, cutting them down in one go. The Demon watched as the rig creaked before it all fell down, with a smash loud enough to shake the entire floor. A barrage of broken glass and metal came flying in every direction, and Crowley gasped and quickly returned Seviper, bracing for the shrapnel to hit him instead.

“Slurpuff! Safeguard!”  
Crowley opened his eyes to see a glowing blue field surrounding him, the glass and metal caught in it. He looked over to see Aziraphale and his Slurpuff hiding behind the judge’s table, smiling. The Demon smiled back, grateful, and dashed over to Aziraphale, who quickly returned his fairy-type. On his way, Crowley stumbled right as the front stage doors burst open.   
The redhead groaned and opened his eyes to see he was straddling Aziraphale, his arms braced over the blond’s shoulders, and their rapidly-warming faces very, _very_ close to each other. Baby-blue eyes widened and Aziraphale let out a tiny noise as his face turned beet-red. Crowley gulped and tried to hear what the guard was doing over the deafening sound of his own heartbeat. He wondered if Aziraphale’s heart was beating as fast as his now?   
Distantly, he heard the guard dial a phone and call the police before leaving out the front doors again. Crowley grinned down at Aziraphale and the Angel grinned back up at him. They both giggled, holding their hands over their mouths to stay quiet. Crowley was so, _so badly_ tempted to just lean a _little_ further down to brush their li-

“We should be going. The police will be here soon.” Aziraphale looked to the backstage doors almost regretfully, and Crowley had to agree with him.  
The Demon gave a curt nod, “Yep, c’mon Angel!” He quickly got up and helped Aziraphale to his feet, holding his hand as they raced through the backstage area, down the hallway, and out the fire exit again. When they finally reached the Bentley, they were both out of breath.

“You don't think anybody saw us, did you?” Aziraphale gasped, holding a hand to his chest.  
Crowley shook his head and tumbled into the driver’s seat, “Nah, but we should get away before the police arrive.” Crowley started the Bentley and drove off down the small side street, taking an alternative route to the bookshop.  
Aziraphale twiddled his thumbs and looked out the window, “It looked like you wanted to… do something. When we were behind the judge’s table back there.” He murmured.  
“Ngk,” Crowley cleared his throat and blushed, “I was just out of breath...because I brought down the rig.”  
Aziraphale glanced over at the Demon, delighting in the pretty pink colour dusting his cheeks. The Angel smiled, “Well, the whole sneaking around thing was very thrilling. And I just know that it will delay the contest enough that so that we can come up with a secondary plan.”  
Crowley gave a cocky grin back, “I know so, too! The best part is no one saw us and we can keep pretending we don’t know each other.” He added the last part with a touch of sadness.

Aziraphale looked pensive as they neared the bookshop, “You know, I don't wish to hide our rela- our friendship from the world forever.” He admitted, looking down at his hands.  
Crowley parked the car in a nearby alley and sighed, “Neither do I, Angel, but our agents wouldn't understand. In fact, they'd probably have our heads if they found out. I hope one day we can show the world how well we’d work together.” He grabbed his Serperior’s Pokéball and got out of the car. There were police sirens far away.  
Aziraphale smiled shyly. _How well we’d work together…_ his mind flashed back to the lovely faux battle they had back in Nodswin Town. The two of them truly would make a fantastic pair. Of coordinators! Pair of coordinators, working together as friends, just friends! Aziraphale felt his cheeks flare up again and he was startled as Crowley opened his door for him.  
“You alright, Angel?”

Aziraphale smiled, hoping his face wasn’t too red, “Yes, I’m fine, Crowley. Just a little tired.”  
Crowley smiled, gold eyes warm under the glow of a street lamp, “I’ll get you back up to your room. You should get some rest.”  
The Angel got out of the car and followed Crowley to the street under his window. Serperior was let out of its pokéball and Aziraphale pet it's head lovingly.  
“Thank you, Serperior, I do hope I’m not too heavy to lift up there.” Aziraphale laughed and the Pokémon hissed happily.  
The Demon chuckled and patted his Serperior’s back, “Don’t sell him short, Angel.”   
A cool breeze blew past the two smiling coordinators, and the silence between them was comfortable and sweet, but also heavy with unsaid words and unperformed actions.

Aziraphale shifted his feet and looked away, “Well, I hope to see you tomorrow sometime.”  
Crowley coughed and looked away as well, “Oh, yeah, sure. I should go get some rest as well.” He frowned and turned to walk back to the Bentley.  
Serperior looked back and forth between the two blushing coordinators, and hissed as if to say, ‘Oh for goodness sake!’ And let out its two thick vines, only this time it didn’t just wrap around Aziraphale.  
Crowley jumped as he felt vines trail along his back and turn him around, “Serperior, what-!?”

With one tug, Serperior brought Aziraphale and Crowley chest-to-chest, and also lips to lips. Crowley let out a surprised noise and his hands twitched at his sides. Aziraphale’s eyes widened and his shoulders jumped. Serperior smiled to itself and held them there.   
_Dear Arceus, what is Serperior doing!? What am I doing!?_ Crowley yelled in his head before realizing just how wonderful and soft Aziraphale’s lips felt _...Oh, who am I kidding?_ Crowley shut his eyes and slowly wrapped his arms around Aziraphale’s soft waist, enjoying the warmth.  
Humming in bliss, Aziraphale lifted his arms to circle Crowley’s neck, pressing closer, _warmer_. Crowley moved his lips gently, Aziraphale responding in kind. It was as if over a year of hidden affection and feeling was finally released, and both coordinators were being swept away with the thrumming of their hearts.

Serperior let go of his trainer, and used both vines to gently lift Aziraphale up and away from Crowley, up to his window. As they parted, Crowley was taken by the sight of Aziraphale ascending upwards, truly like an Angel.  
Aziraphale landed on his feet in his bedroom, and let out a sigh with a dreamy smile.  
Crowley grinned up at him, “Sleep well, Angel.”  
The blond breathed a shaky but relieved breath, “You as well. Good night, dear.”   
Crowley pet his Serperior under his collar before returning him and giving one final wave before heading off to the Bentley. Aziraphale closed his window and leapt into bed, feeling better than he had since he first became a coordinator.

Both coordinators were happy, content, in love… and blissfully unaware of the pair of sharp golden eyes staring at them through the bookshop window.


End file.
